What a ride it has been thus far. The ups and downs of an 82-game season with the addition of 18 more games in the playoffs can take a toll on any team. The Pittsburgh Penguins have shown resiliency in the last few months and deserve to be in the position they are in. San Jose equally deserves the opportunity heading to their first ever Stanley Cup Final. In many respects, the Sharks play similarly to the Penguins. One major commonality is that San Jose wants their defense involved in the ... Read More
Penguins edge out Lightning to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals
The stage is now set for what should be one of the best Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory. Following last night's win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be tasked with playing the San Jose Sharks, a team that has features of each opponent Pittsburgh has played in these playoffs. Matt Murray and Bryan Rust were the Penguins two biggest contributors last night. This isn't to say that the work of Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby went unnoticed, but the ... Read More
Pittsburgh’s stars shine in crucial Game 6, forcing a Game 7
Facing elimination for the first time in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins responded better than most expected. Against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6, the Penguins controlled the pace, and Pittsburgh won pretty easily, 5-2. Matt Murray got the start in net and the vote of confidence from his team. Allowing two goals (one was a self-inflicted goal by Phil Kessel), Murray responded well after being benched in Game 5 for Marc-Andre Fleury. Murray played especially ... Read More
Penguins face first elimination of 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs
Pittsburgh Penguins For the first time in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins face elimination, as they trail Tampa Bay, 3-2, in the Eastern Conference Finals. And, in Game 6, head coach Mike Sullivan has, somewhat surprisingly, given the nod to rookie goaltender Matt Murray over veteran Marc-Andre Fleury (who played the last period in Game 4 and started Game 5). Another change from Sunday's game will likely be the addition of Conor Sheary back in the lineup on the first ... Read More
Can Penguins continue winning ways in Eastern Conference finals vs. Lightning?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have come a very long way in the past five months. In December, the season looked bleak, and the team looked like it would miss out on the playoffs. Now, after beating the President's Trophy winner, the Washington Capitals (the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference), in six games, the Penguins are looking dangerous. And they're looking to carry their stellar second-half play into the Eastern Conference finals where they'll face the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the series ... Read More
Penguins secure series lead at home; Murray continues to shine in net
With a stellar performance in Game 3 of the 2016 NHL Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins took it to the Washington Capitals, winning 3-2. The Penguins got off to a quick start with two goals in the first period — one of a nice tip from Patric Hornqvist and then another, a minute later, off a rush that ended with an attempted pass ricocheting off Tom Kuhnhackl's back into the net. Pittsburgh then extended its lead after Nick Bonino made a nice play, dragging the puck across the mouth of the ... Read More
Three up, three down: Pens beat Caps, have a long road ahead
Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals exemplified why there was so much hype headed into round two. After T.J. Oshie barley nudged in a goal under Matt Murray's right leg pad, Eric Fehr and the Pittsburgh Penguins stormed back to tie up the series. A win is a win, especially against one of the league's most challenging opponents, but here are the takeaways from Saturday night's game. Three Up: One and Only One The Penguins ... Read More
Fehr scores game-winning goal, Murray shines in Game 2 of NHL Playoffs
After a heartbreaking Game 1 loss Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded and pulled off the 2-1 win in Game 2. Matt Murray dominated in-between the pipes for Pittsburgh, giving his team the advantage on the defensive side of things. Washington didn’t play lightly, slamming the Penguins into the boards, but Pittsburgh was ready and countered with the speed and elusiveness needed to escape the Capitals’ physical nature. Murray's Fury Murray played ... Read More
Game 2 Preview: Penguins must respond like they have all season
Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2) The Penguins are coming off of a heartbreaking loss. While it looked like they were going to come back from an early deficit, Pittsburgh failed to convert on some prime opportunities and got roughed around a bit. Still, the Penguins’ offense looked as good as it has all season. The defense, however, didn’t look good, and it could prove to be Pittsburgh's biggest disadvantage for the remainder of this series. The Penguins will need to work on escaping hits and on ... Read More
Three up, three down: Positive and negative takeaways from Game 1
Both experts and fans are split on how the second-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will unfold between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Game 1 didn’t help much in determining the eventual winner — the game went into overtime where the Capitals were able to just squeak by. Let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong for the Penguins in Game 1. Three Up: Competitiveness Going into the game, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding whether the ... Read More