Pittsburgh Penguins Game Six of this series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals is crucial if the Penguins want to keep their lead; currently, the series is at 3-2. There is a possibility defenseman Olli Maatta will return to the lineup tonight after being out with an injury, which will add some much-needed padding to the Penguins’ defense — as long as Maatta continues to play as he has all season. The Capitals have been doing a good job of getting around the ... Read More
Pouliot or Schultz: Who should Pens turn to?
Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals proved to be interesting for both the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins with Brooks Orpik suspended for three games and Olli Maatta out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. The Penguins filled their empty defensive spot with Derrick Pouliot, who was recalled from Wilkes Barre/Scranton earlier this season. There was a chance, however, for the Penguins to play defenseman Justin Schultz instead of Pouliot. Was Pouliot the right decision? ... Read More
Olli Määttä to Finland in April for military obligations
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Määttä will leave Pittsburgh starting on April 18. The Finland native, who starred in 62 games this season, will be returning to his home country to serve the obligated six-month tour of duty. However, Määttä, who will be enlisting in the Finnish army, said it is possible to postpone the start date if the Penguins make the NHL Playoffs. According to Finnish law, if a male is capable of serving he has to do so, professional athlete or not. Määttä, as he is ... Read More
Penguins sign Olli Maatta to six-year contract extension
General manager Jim Rutherford announced Friday that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a six-year contract extension. Beginning in the 2016-17 season and running through the 2021-22 season, the contract has an average annual value of $4.083 million. Drafted in the 2013-14 season, the Finland native was the No. 22 pick overall. Maatta was drafted alongside Derek Pouliot. His first season Maatta earned the Rookie of the Year award with the Penguins, making him the ... Read More
Maatta not answer to Pens defensive woes
As the Pittsburgh Penguins 2015-16 season continues it has become even more readily apparent that Ian Cole is not suited to skating top pairing defensive minutes and has not clicked as a partner for Kris Letang. Their defensive struggles have led many to call for a change and find a new partner to skate with Letang, and of course Olli Maatta is the name on most everybody’s lips. Over the summer, most people had penciled Maatta in to open the season skating alongside Letang. They had spent time ... Read More
Changes to D-pairs paying off for Pens
After starting 0-3, the Pittsburgh Penguins have turned things around and are now on a three-game winning streak. They even managed to finally score on the power play against Florida last night. The wins have not come easy, however, and there are still adjustments that could be made to help them improve going forward. One area that has been a hot topic for discussion is the team's defensive pair. The Penguins have used seven defensemen so far this season, and of a potential 21 combinations, ... Read More
Pens recall Maatta and Porter for opener
The Penguins made three final transactions before their first game of the 2015-16 on Thursday. They reversed their salary cap-related transaction from earlier in the week, recalling defenseman Olli Maatta from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and returning Swedish rookie Oskar Sundqvist to the AHL. Maatta is expected to start and feature prominently on the Penguins blue line in his first action since December 6 of last year. He was only able to play 20 games while ... Read More
What do Dupuis injury and today’s moves mean for Pens salary cap?
The 2015-16 NHL season begins tomorrow and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been anticipating starting the season with Eric Fehr on long-term injured reserve. With this morning's news that Pascal Dupuis is out with a lower body injury, they should have even more cap space to work with. This afternoon, the Penguins sent Olli Maatta down to the AHL and recalled Oskar Sundqvist. The moves that are made today may very well be for salary cap reasons, so it is best not to read too much into the lineup ... Read More
Kris Letang: veteran defenseman?
The 2014-15 season will be a forgettable one for most Pittsburgh Penguins players and fans. For defenseman Kris Letang, it’s a wonder that he can even remember it. Letang suffered at least two head injuries last season, the first coming as a result of a dangerous hit by Philadelphia Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo in January, the second after he fell awkwardly into the boards following an innocent-looking hit by Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan in late March. He also missed five games in late ... Read More
Did the Pens mishandle Maatta’s injury?
Defenseman Olli Maatta will undergo his second shoulder surgery in less than a year today and will miss the remainder of the season, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford announced in a press release late Tuesday night, thus confirming previous reports that Maatta’s season was likely over. Any time a player has to have a second surgery on the same body part, questions arise. Did something go wrong with the first procedure? Is this going to be a career-long problem? Did he return from injury ... Read More