This season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals have easily been two of the best teams in the NHL. And now, the two are set to meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs — meaning, unfortunately for viewers and hockey fans, only one of these teams will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins and Capitals aren't strangers; they met four times this season, splitting the series. And the games weren't exactly low-scoring, either, with Pittsburgh winning ... Read More
Marc-Andre Fleury shines in surprise Game 1 start vs. Blue Jackets
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't even make it onto the ice for the puck drop in Game 1 before the injury bug that has hurt the team all season struck once again. With about eight minutes left to go in warmups, expected starting goaltender Matt Murray left the ice with a presumed lower body injury and wasn't even fit to dress for the game. But, luckily for Pittsburgh, the team has one heck of a backup goalie: two-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury. And Wednesday night, Fleury was ... Read More
Penguins stifle Blues, Fleury dominates in team’s third-straight win
A strong defensive performance Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues (25-22-5) gave the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-13-5) their third-straight win, beating the Blues 4-1. The win came not only from a disciplined defense but also a great showing by veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. After not starting in eight games, Fleury finally got the nod to start in net. In his two previous starts, he gave up a combined 10 goals. But Saturday night, Fleury faced 23 shots and saved all but one of them. ... Read More
Penguins snap three-game road losing streak, Murray bounces back
After a game where Matt Murray allowed a staggering seven goals, the Pittsburgh Penguins' young goalie allowed only one against the Montreal Canadiens (27-13-6) in Pittsburgh's 4-1 win Wednesday night. With the defense allowing only 20 shots on net, Murray’s job was considerably easier than in his previous game against the Washington Capitals. The game began with both teams' offenses off to a good start, but Pittsburgh (28-11-5) got on the board firsts thanks to a wide-open Ian Cole flying ... Read More
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan signs three-year extension
It may be the day after Christmas, but the presents keep rolling in for Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Monday, the team announced head coach Mike Sullivan has signed a three-year extension. Sullivan, who recently celebrated his one-year anniversary with the team and won the Stanley Cup last season, is now under contract through the 2019-20 season. Financial terms of the extension weren't disclosed. “Mike did the best coaching job in the NHL last season,” Pittsburgh's general manager Jim ... Read More
Fans get early Christmas present with Penguins’ win over Devils
Just a night ago the Pittsburgh Penguins (22-8-5) were pummeled by their division foe, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who, with the win, took over the lead in the Metropolitan Division. But just 24 hours later, the Penguins rebounded against the New Jersey Devils (13-14-7), winning 4-1. Sidney Crosby is firing on all cylinders, and he scored his league-leading 24th goal of the season against New Jersey. Friday's game marked the eighth time this season Crosby has scored the first goal of the game, ... Read More
Seven Penguins score in Tuesday night rout of Rangers
After their seven-game win streak was broken over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins (21-7-5) finally got back into the win column Tuesday night after two overtime losses. The New York Rangers (23-11-1) came into Pittsburgh to play one of the best divisional rivalry games in the NHL, but New York would leave with its head down, falling to the Penguins, 7-2. The first period started with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his 22nd goal of the season. Matt Puempel managed to get a goal just ... Read More
One year later, Sullivan has given Penguins new identity
Exactly one year ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins made quite possibly their biggest coaching change in decades — and very much for the better. Let’s be honest, when it comes to the coaching carousel, the Penguins aren’t like their neighbors the Pittsburgh Steelers, which have had three head coaches in 47 years. In the last seven years, Pittsburgh has cycled through four coaches: Michel Therrien, Dan Bylsma, Mike Johnston and, now, Sullivan. While Sullivan only has a year under his belt ... Read More
Rust scores first NHL hat trick in Penguins’ 8-5 win
Sure, sometimes defenses win championships, but Monday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins' (16-7-3) offense certainly won the game against the Ottawa Senators (15-9-2) by a final score of 8-5. Bryan Rust lead Pittsburgh’s staggering offensive onslaught with his first career NHL hat trick. “I can't say I expected it,” Rust said. “(The last time I scored a hat trick) was more of a blowout. The team wasn't as good. This game was just find a way to get open in certain situations, and I was lucky ... Read More
Penguins win-second straight game with comeback victory vs. Detroit
The Pittsburgh Penguins (15-7-3) haven't had back-to-back wins since the beginning of November, but that all changed Saturday evening with a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings (11-11-3). (Thursday, the Penguins beat the Dallas Stars 6-2.) Saturday, at the start of the third period, a Pittsburgh win didn't look like it would be easy to come by. Detroit entered the period with a 3-1 lead, and it looked like it would be a Detroit victory on enemy ice at PPG Paints Arena. However, an eruption ... Read More