Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1) Head coach Mike Sullivan got straight to the point before today’s game: “Matt Murray is starting tonight in net.” (Marc-Andre Fleury remains day-to-day after suffering his second concussion toward the end of the regular season.) On Tuesday, Murray became the youngest goaltender to start a postseason game for Pittsburgh. And, not only did he start, he dominated in Game 3 to secure the Penguins’ win. Last game out, seasoned veteran Matt Cullen scored what would be the ... Read More
Mighty Penguins rebound and steal Game 3 from the Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1) played a stellar game to take back the lead in the series against the New York Rangers (1-2) at home, winning by a score of 3-1. Goaltender Matt Murray got the nod tonight — making his first career playoff start — and was a force in between the pipes for Pittsburgh. The Rangers squandered four power-play opportunities but played tough against the boards. However, this time, the Penguins didn’t show any signs of fatigue as they were able to put up 30 shots against ... Read More
In game two, Zatkoff looking to repeat strong performance
Pittsburgh Penguins (1-0) Jeff Zatkoff played not only played the biggest game of his career, so far, on Wednesday, he also played one of his best in game one of this opening playoff series against the New York Rangers. While the status of injured players like Marc-Andre Fleury, Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin is now listed as day-to-day, head coach Mike Sullivan seems very optimistic about having a fully healthy team soon. Although it is very unlikely for any of those players to play in ... Read More
Hornqvist’s hat trick leads charge in Game 1 victory
In his first career NHL playoff start, Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Jeff Zatkoff played lights-out hockey and helped the Penguins (1-0) nab the 5-2 win against the New York Rangers (0-1) at Consol Energy Center in the first game of the series. Zatkoff finished the game with 37 saves. The Rangers were able to keep the game close heading into the final period, tightening the score to a 2-1 Penguins lead. But goals by rightwingers Tom Kuhnhackl and Patric Hornqvist further separated the ... Read More
Game 1 Preview: Penguins eye payback in opening series game
Pittsburgh Penguins (0-0) The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the last three meetings against the New York Rangers and will look to begin redeeming themselves after being eliminated by New York for the last two years. The goaltending situation is still unknown as Coach Mike Sullivan said that it will be a game-time decision. Beau Bennett, Olli Maatta, and Marc-Andre Fleury all are suffering from injuries and it is unknown who will be in the starting lineup for Game 1. With Pittsburgh ... Read More
Penguins’ regular-season grades for 2015-16
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2015-16 NHL regular season was a tale of two different teams. The first: a team that struggled and couldn’t find the magic needed to be regarded as one of the league's best teams. The other: a formidable and dangerous team with an offense that had the spark and speed of a top-tier team, which was complemented by a fast-paced defense. Now, with the regular season over and done with, it’s time to assign the final grades of the season. Offense: A- Overall, this ... Read More
Penguins face goaltending challenges in opening playoff series
"Every team has injuries. Fortunately we have depth. It provides opportunities. That's what makes teams great," Coach Mike Sullivan said following practice this morning, a day before his Pittsburgh Penguins play host to the New York Rangers. The Penguins have been fortunate enough to have depth in many positions, but their goaltending situation is being stretched to capacity. Marc-Andre Fleury is now day-to-day and will be evaluated daily following a concussion that has kept him out since his ... Read More
Penguins face tough playoff test vs. Rangers for third-straight year
For the third time in as many years, the Pittsburgh Penguins (48-26-8) will play the New York Rangers (46-27-9) in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins won the regular season series three games to one, with Pittsburgh scoring a combined 12 goals. Although Pittsburgh has crushed its competition as of late, this series will be the team’s biggest challenge since head coach Mike Sullivan took the reins in December. There is a sizable chance Sullivan's team will begin the playoffs with ... Read More
Crosby scores a pair; Fleury shines in his return against Islanders
Following a New Year’s Eve 5-2 win against the Detroit Redwings, the Pittsburgh Penguins (18-15-4) hosted the New York Islanders (21-12-5). In a game that left fans leaving Consol Energy Center with smiles, Sidney Crosby finished the night with a pair of goals, and Kris Letang dazzled for a second straight game with three assists, two of which ending with his captain putting the puck away. Marc-Andre Fleury made his return to the net tonight after behind held out for almost three weeks due to ... Read More
Fleury, Bennett will both miss time to injury
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury may have a concussion and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins and right-winger Beau Bennett will miss four to six weeks with an upper body, head coach Mike Sullivan said after the team’s practice session on Tuesday. Sullivan said he did not know when Fleury was injured, but that it happened sometime during the team’s 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday night. “He came to us last night and said he wasn’t feeling ... Read More