The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank third in the Metropolitan Division thanks largely in part to the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury ranks in the top 10 among all NHL goaltenders in wins, save percentage and shutouts, but ranks fourth overall with 19 games played and sixth overall 569 shots against raises some concerns about the longevity of “The Flower” over the course of the regular season and anticipated playoff run. The 2003 first overall draft pick turned 31-years old ... Read More
Pens fall to Oilers in shootout
Evgeni Malkin’s two goals weren’t enough to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-8-2) over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. The Pens fell 3-2 in their third consecutive shootout. Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring for the night and put the Oilers on the board 2:02 into the game. Taylor Hall assisted on the goal, setting Draisaitl up for a close-range shot that bulleted past Penguins netminder Jeff Zatkoff. This was only Zatkoff’s fifth start in more than 20 games. Five minutes later, Andrej ... Read More
Pens need to let the kids play
Proposed fixes seem to be running thin for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The rollercoaster 2015–16 season continued last week with a pair of 4-3 wins over the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche capped with a 3-1 loss to the San José Sharks on Saturday night. Quite simply, the Penguins lack jump. Outlasting opponents works sometimes. So far, 12 out of 20 times to be exact, but something needs to be done to get the team to play with a higher level of intensity. The top six group of ... Read More
Penguins prospects: Three up, three down
We know about what the Penguins are doing, but what about the prospects? We take a look at three up and three down. Three Up Dominik Simon The Pittsburgh Penguins saw a potential late bloomer in Dominik Simon, drafting the Czech forward in June at 20 years old. Simon seems to be quickly adjusting to the North American style of play, ranking second on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in both goals and points with four and six, respectively, in 10 games. Anthony ... Read More
Is Ian Cole hurting Kris Letang and Penguins?
With the Pittsburgh Penguins currently ranked third in the league in average goals against per game, falling two spots after allowing five against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, knocking the defense seems farfetched. Maybe unfair. However, consider the two players with the worst plus/minus ranking on the team in Kris Letang and Ian Cole at -10 and -9, respectively. Now, consider Olli Maatta and Rob Scuderi lead the team with +9 and +8 ratings, while Ben Lovejoy checks in at ... Read More
Pens up late for West Coast showdown
The Penguins will start the Western Canadian portion of their four-game road trip tonight when they visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena tonight at 10 p.m. The Pens have already been on the road for four days. They left Pittsburgh on Friday before their 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Since then, the Penguins have had a rare three days off on the road. KUNITZ QUESTIONABLE Left-winger Chris Kunitz will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game. He skated ... Read More
What should the Pens expect from Sergei Plotnikov?
The Pittsburgh Penguins offense fell flat in the 2015–16 season opener against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Rookie left-winger Sergei Plotnikov, imported to the NHL after six seasons in the Russian-based KHL, looked particularly flat. Plotnikov made headlines by paying around $500,000 to negate the final year of a KHL contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and join the Penguins as the team allegedly sought a Russian winger to play on a line with Evgeni Malkin. Based on some simple ... Read More
Niemi shuts out Pens in season opener
The Pittsburgh Penguins spent most of the offseason focusing on upgrading their offensive attack. Through one game, it seems to have been for naught, as the Pens were shut out 3-0 by the Stars on opening night in Dallas. It wasn’t for a lack of chances, as the Penguins outshot Dallas 37-24. Defenseman Kris Letang led the offensive charge with eight shots on goal, but neither Letang nor any of the other Pens could solve Dallas goaltender Antti Niemi, who improved to 5-1-1 in his career against ... Read More
Opening night special for new-look Pens
Tonight, hockey is back as the Pens will face the Dallas Stars to open their search for their fourth Stanley Cup. If you haven't been watching, a lot has changed since the Pittsburgh Penguins last took to the ice five and half months ago. After watching his team score only four goals in their four losses to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and then watching the deep and talented forward groups of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks battle deep into June, ... Read More
Mike Johnston fared well in debut season as Penguins coach
Mike Johnston fared about as well as expected as a rookie coach in the 2014–15 season. The numbers stack up well against other coaches debuts, while Johnston arguably faced greater challenges and adversity throughout the season, namely injury and salary cap woes. Of 12 NHL coaches, only five finished debut seasons with higher win percentages compared to a 0.598 win percentage by Johnston. Five of the 12, including Johnston, lost in the first round of the postseason, while only two advanced ... Read More