The Pittsburgh Penguins, down two games to one in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the New York Rangers, do not face a must-win situation in Game 4 tonight at Consol Energy Center. It does feels like one, though. A win would send the Penguins back to New York with the series evened and assured that a pivotal Game 6 would be played on home ice. With a loss, the Penguins will face elimination in Madison Square Garden on Friday, and would have to win three straight games to move on to ... Read More
Can the Pens knock off the top-seeded Rangers?
The Penguins and Rangers will face off at 7:00 p.m. tonight at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Get caught up by checking out Monday's discussion on the Penguins reliance on young defensemen to shut down a deep Rangers attack and yesterday's break down of the reasons for the Rangers’ success in 2014-15. Part one of today's two-part series preview, in which I discussed the Penguins and Rangers playoff history, and went over news about the big screen ... Read More
NHL scoring title and a playoff berth at stake for Pens and Islanders
For the second game in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins need a regulation win to secure a position in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite losing 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Penguins got some help on Thursday night as the Florida Panthers upset the Boston Bruins, knocking the B’s out of a playoff spot. The Penguins have been provided another opportunity to clinch a playoff berth despite losing four consecutive games, but it won’t be an easy victory. The Penguins ... Read More
Mailbag: Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs.
Do the Penguins still control their playoff destiny? Yes. By earning a point, the Penguins reduced their magic number from four to three. That means any combination of the Penguins winning three points and/or the Ottawa Senators losing three points will qualify the Penguins. The Senators play the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The Penguins host the New York Islanders on Friday night. Both teams play on Saturday, with the Senators in Philadelphia and the Penguins in Buffalo. Even if ... Read More
Gary Agnew an underrated part of Penguins success on defense
When general manager Jim Rutherford took over his position, he had a long of work to do in overhauling the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had a front office to rearrange, a new coaching staff to hire and he had to do something with the team on the ice that blew a first-round series to the New York Rangers last spring. The jury is still out on some of those moves. Several efforts to reinvigorate the team’s bottom-six forwards seem to have mostly failed, while a contract extension to goaltender ... Read More
Pens recall Pouliot; Malkin and Hornqvist skate
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Derrick Pouliot from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced by general manager Jim Rutherford on Tuesday morning. Pouliot, 21, has already played in 26 games for Pittsburgh during his rookie season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. In 31 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has scored seven goals and seventeen assists. The native of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, was the Penguins first pick – eighth overall – in ... Read More
Penguins continue road trip against Stanley Cup-champion Kings
The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to build on last night’s 5-2 win in Anaheim when they travel across town to take on the Los Angeles Kings at 10:00 p.m. TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: One night after playing the top team in the National Hockey League, the Penguins will now face the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Kings, despite their recent success, are in a dogfight for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Kings currently sit two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the ... Read More
Penguins finish up road trip against the Canucks
The Penguins are finishing up their three-game road trip with a 10:00 p.m. start in Vancouver against the Canucks this evening. TONIGHT’S OPPONENT: The Canucks are finishing up a six-game home stand. They’ve gone 2-3 in the first five games, including a 5-1 loss to San Jose on Thursday. Through 50 games, Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin each share the team lead with 42 points. Czech winger Radim Vrbata has 20 goals and was the team’s lone all-star representative. Ryan Miller is the ... Read More