The Penguins and Rangers will face off at 7:00 p.m. tonight at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Get caught up by checking out Monday's discussion on the Penguins reliance on young defensemen to shut down a deep Rangers attack and yesterday's break down of the reasons for the Rangers’ success in 2014-15. Part one of today's two-part series preview, in which I discussed the Penguins and Rangers playoff history, and went over news about the big screen ... Read More
Penguins make return to Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs are back. What seemed to be a fait accompli early in the season turned into a gut-wrenching struggle down the stretch, as the once-dominant Penguins looked like a shell of their former selves, backing into the postseason with a 4-9-2 record down the homestretch. The Penguins have now qualified for the postseason for nine consecutive seasons, but for the first time in a long time, find themselves in the position of being underdogs, as they will travel to New York City ... Read More
Breaking down the Rangers’ success
When the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers met in the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins were prohibitive favorites. The Penguins had finished with 109 points, second in the Eastern Conference, and won the brand-new Metropolitan Division by 13 points. The Penguins then dispatched the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games in the first round and built a 3-1 series lead against the Rangers. Even with all of that momentum, the Penguins’ season came to a screeching ... Read More
Penguins get reinforcements for playoff battle with Rangers
The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin the Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday against the New York Rangers. To be successful against the top team in the National Hockey League, the Penguins will need to play better than their 8-11-2 record since the beginning of March. Even more worrying is the fact that of those eight wins, only two have come against teams that qualified for the postseason. The first step toward accomplishing that goal is getting some healthy bodies in black-and-gold uniforms. ... Read More
Penguins lose to Islanders; Letang done for season
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished their home slate with a disappointing 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday night, and may have lost even more than that, as news broke late Friday night that defenseman Kris Letang will not return this season. Letang, 27, finished his most prolific season under less-than-ideal circumstances. He fell backwards into the boards awkwardly after a hit by Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan on March 28 and spent the night in the hospital for ... Read More
NHL scoring title and a playoff berth at stake for Pens and Islanders
For the second game in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins need a regulation win to secure a position in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite losing 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Penguins got some help on Thursday night as the Florida Panthers upset the Boston Bruins, knocking the B’s out of a playoff spot. The Penguins have been provided another opportunity to clinch a playoff berth despite losing four consecutive games, but it won’t be an easy victory. The Penguins ... Read More
Mailbag: Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs.
Do the Penguins still control their playoff destiny? Yes. By earning a point, the Penguins reduced their magic number from four to three. That means any combination of the Penguins winning three points and/or the Ottawa Senators losing three points will qualify the Penguins. The Senators play the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The Penguins host the New York Islanders on Friday night. Both teams play on Saturday, with the Senators in Philadelphia and the Penguins in Buffalo. Even if ... Read More
Pens blow another lead; lose fourth straight
The Pittsburgh Penguins blew a 3-0 first-period lead en route to a devastating 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. Much like on Sunday in Philadelphia, the Penguins dominated the first period, outshooting the Senators 12-7 and jumping out to a big lead thanks to the inspired play of captain Sidney Crosby. Just ten seconds into the contest, Crosby fired a slap shot past Ottawa’s rookie sensation, goaltender Andrew Hammond. It was the fifth consecutive ... Read More
Playoff berth on the line for Pens and Sens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing in what is perhaps their biggest regular season game in recent history tonight. The Pens, despite their recent run of poor play, know exactly what they need to do to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs: beat the Ottawa Senators tonight. With a win, the Penguins would not only clinch their ninth consecutive playoff berth, they would also be able to rest a banged up roster for back-to-back games against the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres this ... Read More
Penguins can’t beat Mason, Flyers
The Penguins have been criticized, both internally and externally, for their lack of effort and intensity in losing back-to-back games to the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets last week. The Penguins had no lack of effort in Sunday afternoon’s rematch in Philadelphia. They dominated the Flyers up and down the ice at even strength, but they couldn’t put enough pucks past Flyers goaltender Steve Mason and gave up a pair of power play goals en route to a 4-1 beating at the hands of ... Read More