After two periods of defensive hockey and solid goaltenders, the Penguins and Capitals burst out for three goals in the first 3:49 of the third period. Fortunately for the Pens, they emerged from the outburst with a 2-1 lead and were able to escape Washington with a 3-1 victory. In an even first period, the Penguins had three straight power plays, including a 47-second 5-on-3, but they were unable to solve Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. Holtby In the second, the ice tilted towards the ... 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
Penguins’ effort unquestionable despite loss
The Pittsburgh Penguins certainly had a disappointing finish to their 2014-15 season. A year that started with such hope and promise finished with a dizzying tail slide down the home stretch of the regular season and a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the New York Rangers. The late-season slide showed that this Penguins club has many weaknesses, chiefly among them scoring goals. That demon reared its head in the playoffs as the Pens scored just one goal in each of their four ... Read More
Rangers send Pens packing again
If the 2014-15 Pittsburgh Penguins season had a tombstone, it would read “2-1”. Their 2-1 loss on Friday night in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden was their fourth loss of the series – all of which came with a 2-1 final, and for the second consecutive year, the Rangers ended the Penguins’ season. The Rangers again got off to a strong start, scoring the opening goal for the fourth time in five games and outshooting the Penguins 12-6 in the first period. It was Derek Stepan that broke through on ... 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
Pens blow another lead; lose fourth straight
The Pittsburgh Penguins blew a 3-0 first-period lead en route to a devastating 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. Much like on Sunday in Philadelphia, the Penguins dominated the first period, outshooting the Senators 12-7 and jumping out to a big lead thanks to the inspired play of captain Sidney Crosby. Just ten seconds into the contest, Crosby fired a slap shot past Ottawa’s rookie sensation, goaltender Andrew Hammond. It was the fifth consecutive ... Read More
Playoff berth on the line for Pens and Sens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing in what is perhaps their biggest regular season game in recent history tonight. The Pens, despite their recent run of poor play, know exactly what they need to do to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs: beat the Ottawa Senators tonight. With a win, the Penguins would not only clinch their ninth consecutive playoff berth, they would also be able to rest a banged up roster for back-to-back games against the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres this ... Read More
Penguins get untracked against hapless Coyotes
For the Penguins, a win – any win – is a welcome sight after losing four straight games over the last week. The Penguins 3-1 victory over Arizona Coyotes, however, is hardly an accomplishment worth celebrating. The Coyotes, now losers of six straight games and 16 of their last 17, seemed particularly uninterested in taking the play to the Penguins, despite a lackluster first period from the black and gold. The Penguins were completely outplayed through the first 20 minutes, and were ... Read More
Pens can’t solve Niemi, Sharks; fall 2-1 in shootout
Antti Niemi and the SAP Center may haunt the Penguins in their dreams as they return home to Pittsburgh from their four-game west coast road trip. With a 2-1 shootout loss at the hands of the Sharks on Monday night, the Penguins are now winless in 12 straight games in San Jose, a streak dating back to October of 1997. This time, it was Niemi who did most of the damage. The Sharks netminder made 39 sparking saves through three periods of regulation and five minutes of overtime, and then shut ... Read More
Fleury earns his ninth shutout as the Pens blank the Kings
On the night when legendary Kings forward Luc Robitaille had his statue unveiled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, it was the goaltenders that stole the show. Through three periods of regulation and 1:44 of overtime on Saturday night, it seemed as if goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick would never give up a goal. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings had held each other to just 48 shots and it seemed certain that a shootout would be needed to settle the score. That ... Read More