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
Penguins blow out Rangers 6-1 Wednesday
Just a few nights after the Pittsburgh Penguins (12-5-3) lost 5-2 at home to the New York Rangers (14-6-1), Pittsburgh roared back on Wednesday night. Not only was the Penguins' offense running smoothly, they did a great job of limiting the Rangers to only 17 shots in Pittsburgh's 6-1 win. At one point, Pittsburgh held New York without a shot for full 23 minutes and 59 seconds. Wednesday night's six goals was a season-best for the team. Five of the six goals came in the second period, two ... 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
Penguins visit New York for must-win Game 5
For the first time in the 2014-15 season, the Penguins will play with their season on the line in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals tonight at Madison Square Garden. In 2009, the last year the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, they went 3-0 in potential elimination games. The Penguins will have to match that output in the opening series if they hope to escape from the first round. Since the last Cup run, the Pens have gone just 2-5 in games that they could be eliminated in and are ... Read More
Pens start strong, but fall in overtime
The Pittsburgh Penguins came into Wednesday night knowing that they needed to improve in the poor first period starts that had resulted in no goals and just 13 shots over the first three games. The Penguins turned that trend on its ear in Game 4, scoring the opening goal for the first time in the series, and dominating the Rangers through the first 20 minutes, but came away with just a 1-0 lead. The Penguins’ failure to improve their early advantage was crucial as the Rangers came back to win ... Read More
First period failures standing between Pens, victory
The Pittsburgh Penguins, down two games to one in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the New York Rangers, do not face a must-win situation in Game 4 tonight at Consol Energy Center. It does feels like one, though. A win would send the Penguins back to New York with the series evened and assured that a pivotal Game 6 would be played on home ice. With a loss, the Penguins will face elimination in Madison Square Garden on Friday, and would have to win three straight games to move on to ... Read More
Another poor start dooms Penguins in Game 3 vs. Rangers
For the third straight game, the New York Rangers scored the opening goal, as they quieted a boisterous Consol Energy Crowd by taking an early lead and taking the life out of the building with a slow, defending style that lead to few scoring chances for either side and a 2-1 victory for the visiting Rangers. The start of the game was especially slow-going. Neither team had a shot on goal in the first five minutes of the game. A pair of Penguins miscues – an Evgeni Malkin turnover while ... Read More
Pressure is now on Rangers as series shifts to Pittsburgh
Pressure makes people do funny things. In the National Hockey League, pressure can make a defenseman whiff as he tries to chip the puck out of the zone, a goal scorer fire a shot high and wide at an open net, or a goaltender blink as a slap shot comes sizzling in from the point. In the NHL playoffs, pressure is everywhere, but some teams feel it more than others. In 2014, the with a Stanley Cup mandate from ownership and the coaching staff’s jobs on the line, the Penguins collapsed under ... Read More
Crosby comes alive as Penguins even series
After getting embarrassed in the first period of Game 1 in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the Penguins were determined to get off to a better start in Game 2 on Saturday night. The Rangers still came out with first period lead, but Penguins captain Sidney Crosby took over, scoring two goals in the second period to lead his squad to a 4-3 victory and evened the series at one game a piece as it heads back to Pittsburgh. The early going was tight checking, with teams combining for just ... Read More