It is no secret the Pittsburgh Penguins have underwhelmed since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2009. Fast forward almost eight years later since their last Championship and a decade since the Crosby-Malkin era began, that 2009 season has still been the only championship credit to their careers. It is easy to point fingers, assign blame, and act like fixing these issues are easy, they aren’t. Yes, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have not played to our expectations in recent years, but does this ... Read More
Malkin and Letang represent Penguins in All-Star game
Today, the NHL released their 2016 All-Star selections that included two Pittsburgh Penguins. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin have put together a solid resume to give them the nod to participate in this year’s All-Star festivities. Although only playing 30 games thus far, Letang is still pulling his weight as he is fourth among defensemen with 0.80 points per game. A vast majority of his points have come from his 20 assists, and the rest from his four goals scored on the season. This is Letang’s ... Read More
Pens fall to Oilers in shootout
Evgeni Malkin’s two goals weren’t enough to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-8-2) over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. The Pens fell 3-2 in their third consecutive shootout. Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring for the night and put the Oilers on the board 2:02 into the game. Taylor Hall assisted on the goal, setting Draisaitl up for a close-range shot that bulleted past Penguins netminder Jeff Zatkoff. This was only Zatkoff’s fifth start in more than 20 games. Five minutes later, Andrej ... Read More
Pens get defensive; Sprong gets on the board in first win of season
With the offseason additions of Phil Kessel and others, the Pittsburgh Penguins were supposed to be an offensive juggernaut this season. Having failed at that task through the first three games, the Pens won their first of the season on Thursday night with some good, old-fashioned defense, shutting out the Ottawa Senators 2-0. The Penguins defense was aided by an offensive attack that outshot the Senators 36-22 and kept the puck in the Ottawa end of the rink for large stretches of time. ... Read More
Pens need production from stars to even series
After a hideous first 20 minutes on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, the Pittsburgh Penguins found a way to play two decent periods of hockey, something that seemed unfathomable after watching their parade to the penalty box in the opening frame. It was a good sign. The first period was so lopsided; it may as well have been scored Christians 2, Lions 0. The second and third periods proved that the Penguins and Rangers do in fact play in the same league. If the Penguins can limit ... Read More
Pens get Malkin back, lose Downie for final meeting with Flyers
As has been typical of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2014-15 season, as soon as they get one player back from injury, they lose another one. When the Penguins visit the Philadelphia Flyers this afternoon, center Evgeni Malkin will make his return to the Penguins lineup after missing the last two games with a nagging injury. Missing in action will be right-winger Steve Downie, who is out for today’s game and is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Downie did not appear to be injured during ... Read More
Penguins can’t solve Flyers; Malkin out with injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins might eventually win another game at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. The Pens dropped their seventh consecutive game to their cross-state rivals and five straight games at Consol Energy Center by losing a 4-1 decision on Wednesday night. The game, as many against the Flyers have lately, started out promising for the Penguins. Captain Sidney Crosby collected the rebound of a Patric Hornqvist shot and chipped it past the outstretched ... Read More
Johnston to coach while mourning
Penguins head coach Mike Johnston will be coaching this afternoon with a heavy heart, as he deals with the loss of his mother Sheila Johnston, who passed away on Friday in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Mrs. Johnston was 81 years old. Coach Johnston is expected to coach both of the team’s games this weekend before returning to Canada for the funeral on Tuesday. After Sunday, the team does not play again until Wednesday. “The Penguins offer their deepest sympathy to Mike and his family during this ... 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 look to get back on track against Stars
The Penguins are back out west this week, as their three-game road trip takes them to Dallas tonight to take on the Stars in a 9:00 p.m. faceoff. The Pens need to get back on track, after a two-game sweep at home last weekend and a lackluster 2-0 loss in New Jersey on Tuesday has handed them a three-game losing streak in which they’ve scored only one goal. One player that could spark the offense is left-winger Chris Kunitz. The veteran forward has been struggling lately. He has only one ... Read More