Forty-nine times a team in the Stanley Cup Finals had a 2-0 lead, 44 of them went on to hoist Lord Stanley's trophy. The Pittsburgh Penguins, after defeating the San Jose Sharks last night, 2-1, will now see the series shift away to play in California. Although each game has been close on the score sheet, the two teams are playing on completely different levels. Pittsburgh is playing like a well-oiled machine and it is showing. Though they haven't been able to separate themselves by much in ... Read More
Penguins march past Sharks in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Finals
For the first time since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, the Pittsburgh Penguins have tallied a win in the Stanley Cup Finals. Game 1 saw three periods of completely different play. In the first period, Pittsburgh dominated with an aggressive forecheck, killing speed and good instincts by just about every player. In the second period, the San Jose Sharks evaporated the Penguins 2-0 lead and bring the game back to even. In the third period, each team had their fair shot at taking the ... Read More
Penguins, Sharks evenly matched as puck about to drop in Game 1 of Finals
Pittsburgh Penguins The stage is set at Consol Energy Center for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins have the chance to take the final step to complete their Cinderella story this season — at one point, early in the season, the Penguins looked like they wouldn’t even make the playoffs. They were still feeling the growing pains of adjusting to new head coach Mike Sullivan's style of play. Now, Pittsburgh seemingly has everything figured out, which makes them incredibly ... Read More
Chemistry, not making big trades helps lead Penguins to Stanley Cup
Compare the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Penguins to the current roster. Based on skill alone, who is more likely to make the Stanley Cup Finals? If you said this years’ team, you might be lying to yourself. That team three years ago was stacked, and on paper one of the most talented teams in franchise history. They were supposed to breeze through the Eastern Conference on their way to the finals. It was not supposed to be close. Future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla was acquired for below-market ... Read More
Crosby’s overtime goal hands Pens Game 2 win
Monday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins were able to tie the series 1-1 after a 3-2 overtime win. The first period started out hopeful for the Penguins after Matt Cullen and Phil Kessel scored the first two goals of the game, allowing the Penguins to lead 2-0. Later in the first period, however, the Lightning came back to tie the game, after Anton Stralman and Jonathon Drouin scored two goals, ... Read More
Penguins fall to Lightning in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning wrecked havoc on the Pittsburgh Penguins on both sides of the ice, scoring three and preventing Pittsburgh from getting good opportunities. Patric Hornqvist removed the goose-egg from the scoresheet, but it wasn't enough, and the Penguins lost the series opener, 3-1. Perhaps the biggest headline was the early exit of Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, who was injured after 12:25 in the first period. Backup Andrei Vasilevskiy ... Read More
Game 1 Preview: Lightning face tough challenges against Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins (8-3) The Penguins were supported in their last series by a number of player who were not named Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. While some saw this as a cause for concern, it is easy to forget how well the Capitals defense played. Tampa Bay may have the speed to match Pittsburgh, but its defense going against Crosby, Malkin, Carl Hagelin, Kris Letang, Nick Bonino and so on will struggle in Game 1. The back-end of Tampa Bay's team is agile, but are not as skillful as ... Read More
Matt Murray the right choice in net for Penguins in Game Six
Has the torch been passed? On Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced goaltender Matt Murray would start in Game 6, keeping Marc-Andre Fleury on the bench. This is the the right move by the Penguins’ management; Murray is the reason Pittsburgh has stayed so competitive against the NHL's best team. The mere fact that Murray was able to stop two breakaway chances by Alex Ovechkin is enough to give Murray the nod for the rest of the series. This isn’t to say Fleury ... Read More
Penguins can’t close series as Capitals force Game 6
This evening Game 5 of the Round 2 series against the Washington Capitals (6-5), the Pittsburgh Penguins (7-2) saw a desperate team get the best of them. Alex Ovechkin scored the game's first goal on a power-play after a hooking penalty was called against Bryan Rust. Chris Kunitz scored Pittsburgh's first power-play goal not too far long after and brought the Penguins back at a draw with the Capitals. However, Washington took control in the second period with a goal by T.J. Oshie and Justin ... 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