The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that center Matt Cullen will be returning to the team for the 2016-17 season after inking a one year, $1 million contract. The 39-year-old was primarily seen on Pittsburgh's fourth line, but he was still able to rack up 32 points (16 G, 16 A) in 82 games — he was one of only three players who played in every game for Pittsburgh. Cullen also contributed six points (4 G, 2 A) during the Penguins' magical playoff run. Speculation had persisted ... Read More
Who should the Penguins draft in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft?
Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins will take their first major step to repeat as Stanley Cup champions when the 2016 NHL Draft gets underway. And if there is any team that knows what young players can do, it's the Penguins. But, this youth comes with some big consequences. Not only does Pittsburgh lack depth in its minor league system, but, for the fourth-straight season, the Penguins are without a first round pick. Fortunately, the lack of first-round draft picks hasn't hurt them — ... Read More
Daniel Sprong, other Penguins dealing with offseason injuries
On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that talented young forward Daniel Sprong, 19, is expected to miss up to eight months after having shoulder surgery. This comes after a rush of news that maintenance days for Penguins such as Nick Bonino and Evgeni Malkin were indeed just maintenance days. Sprong's return to the NHL will more than likely be delayed. While he will likely be back in time to play later in the season, general manager Jim Rutherford had this to say about Sprong's injury ... Read More
Hornqvist’s overtime goal puts Penguins in the driver seat
After a tight and intense game, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals went into overtime, where Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist scored the game winner to make it a 3-2 final. The Penguins now hold a 3-1 series lead over the Capitals and have three chances to eliminate the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Even without the support of defenseman Kris Letang, who was suspended for the game after a high hit on a Capital in Game 3, Pittsburgh's defense was able to clamp down ... Read More
Game 4 Preview: Penguins look to take dominate lead; Murray to start
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
Crosby’s OT game winner keeps Penguins hot in D.C.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are now finding many different ways to win. After the Penguins gave up a 3-0 lead, captain Sidney Crosby silenced the relentless Capitals with a game-winning goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 win in the nation’s capital on Thursday night. Ever since their bland loss to the New Jersey Devils two weeks ago, the Penguins have won eight straight games. Thursday’s win also secured second place in the Metropolitan Division for Pittsburgh, which means the Penguins ... Read More
Report: Pens rookie Sundqvist suffered severed tendon
Pittsburgh Penguins rookie center Oskar Sundqvist missed the team’s prospect development camp in July with what he said at the time was a hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries are relatively common as athletes begin training after the offseason. But according to a report by Arvid Marklund of the Swedish newspaper Norran, Sundqivst’s injury was more serious than a run-of-the-mill hamstring pull. Sundqvist reportedly suffered a deep laceration in his left thigh while playing with Skelleftea ... Read More
Pens mailbag: Why Matt Cullen, is Franson a fit, and more
Why did the Pens sign 38-year old center Matt Cullen? Penguins GM Jim Rutherford gave lip service to Cullen being the type of player that he wants in his locker room after signing Cullen to a one-year deal last week. But as the Penguins witnessed last season with Craig Adams, all the intangibles in the world don’t add up to squat if the player can’t produce on the ice. Well, Cullen may be 38, but he’s far from unproductive. Over the last two seasons with Nashville, he averaged .122 goals ... Read More
Penguins sign Matt Cullen
The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to build their depth in the bottom six on Thursday by signing free agent center Matt Cullen to a one-year contract worth $800,000. Cullen, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Virginia, Minnesota, spent the last two seasons with the Nashville Predators. In 2013-14, he scored 10 goals and recorded 29 assists in. In 2014-15, a pair of injuries held him to just 62 games played, but he still was able to score 7 goals and tally 18 assists. Cullen can play center and ... Read More