When the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel this offseason, they brought him on board to do one thing: score goals. Kessel did his part by scoring the Pens first goal of the season with the kind of wrist shot that has made him one of the league’s most dangerous snipers, but the rest of the team failed to cash in against Arizona goaltender Mike Smith, and the Penguins dropped their second straight game to start the 2015-16 with a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Coyotes. For the second consecutive ... Read More
Pens look to get on the board against Arizona
The Pittsburgh Penguins will get an opportunity to get rid of the bad taste from their opening-night shutout at the hands of the Dallas Stars before they return to Consol Energy Center. Tonight, the Arizona Coyotes await as the Pens try to even their early season record and get the first points of 2015-16 on the board.Veteran forward Kevin Porter, who was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, will make his Penguins debut tonight.“Porter adds some ... Read More
Forward depth headlines WBS squad
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins kick off the 2015–16 season tonight with a new coaching staff and some new players expected to impact the lineup and continue to develop into Pittsburgh Penguins. Several veteran fringe NHL players to give the big club insurance. Kael Mouillierat led the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season with 24 goals and managed one goal and one assist in six games with the New York Islanders. Kevin Porter comes with 206 games of NHL experience, but none since ... 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
Sprong solid in NHL debut
Penguins rookie right-winger Daniel Sprong made his NHL debut in the Pens 3-0 loss against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, and though he failed to make an immediate impact on the scoresheet, the talent and skating that made him a coveted pick were on full display. “It was a great experience,” he said after the game. “As each period went on, I felt better and more comfortable. I was pretty nervous in the beginning, but I think I can learn from this game.” Sprong, an 18-year old from ... 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
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
AM Joe: Focus turns to hockey
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Thursday, October 8, 2015. What's on tap for today: With the city in mourning over the Pirates playoff loss last night, hockey season couldn't come at a better time. The Penguins will get their season started with a visit to Dallas to take on the Stars tonight at 8:30 p.m. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh Pittsburgh headlines: The Pirates 4-0 loss to Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs last night ended their season at home in the Wild ... Read More
Pascal Dupuis to miss four to five weeks
Before the 2015-16 season has even started, one of the Pittsburgh Penguins familiar demons has already reared its head. Winger Pascal Dupuis is expected to miss the first four-to-five weeks of the season with a lower body injury, the team said on Tuesday. Dupuis, 36, missed nearly all but 16 games of the 2014-15 season after a blood clot in his leg moved into his lung. Since then, Dupuis has been on blood thinners to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence and has established a strict protocol for ... Read More