The Penguins acquired F Lee Stempniak from Calgary for a third-round draft choice at the deadline. It was a trade that was made last-minute after the Vancouver Canucks announced they would not be trading Ryan Kesler earlier today. In 52 games for the Flames, Stempniak recorded 23 points (8 G [2 short-handed], 15 A) with a +/- of -21. He, like Goc, will be an upgrade to the Penguins bottom 6 which needed help. Over 11 seasons, Stempniak posted 146 goals and 184 assists in 616 games for St. ... Read More
Penguins Acquire Marcel Goc from the Panthers
The Penguins have acquired Marcel Goc from the Florida Panthers in exchange for two draft picks, a fifth round pick this year and a third round pick next year. The 30 year old Center has recorded 23 points (11 G, 12 A) and a +/- of -7 in 62 games this season while playing on the Panthers bottom 6. His 52.8% faceoff percentage is ranked 27th in the league and better than any other Penguin on the roster. Goc has played nine seasons in the NHL with the Sharks, Predators and Panthers playing ... Read More
Penguins Midseason Report Card
The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference right now. However, this team will only earn back their reputation it desires in the playoffs. The regular season will hopefully at worst give this team a number two seed in the conference come playoff time. The Penguins have had only six players manage to play the entire season to this point. Furthermore, they lead the NHL with 243 games lost to injury, a staggering number when you consider the team in second is ... Read More
Let’s Make A Deal – Trade Options For The Pens
Even in the the midst of the latest stretch of winning hockey where the Penguins have gone 8-2-0 in their last ten, one of the hot button topics continues to be what the Penguins might do in terms of trades. Questions remain to be answered...Where do the Pens look to upgrade? Do they look for another scoring forward to play on a line with Crosby or Malkin? Do they look for additional grit and toughness that could play on a third or fourth line, and additionally help with the penalty kill? What ... Read More
Pens Will Be Represented Well in Sochi
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be represented well in the Olympics. Even through all of the injuries this team has played through, this team sits atop the Eastern Conference, which means the Penguins have a plethora of players attending Sochi next month. Team Canada Sidney Crosby was a lock from day one and should be Captain Canada as he leads the NHL in scoring and is by far the best player on the planet. This will be the second Olympics for Crosby, who scored the overtime goal in the ... Read More
Power Struggle in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Penguins by all accounts are off to a strong start. During the offseason, the Penguins lost Tomas Vokoun, who could miss most of the season with a blood clot. Marc Andre-Fleury, who looked awful in the preseason has regained his form to this point and in turn, the Penguins haven't had to shop for a backup goalie. Furthermore, the Penguins are atop the Metropolitan division and Sidney Crosby is leading the NHL in points. Earlier in the year, I wrote an article titled, "Pens ... Read More
Fleury Starting to Flower
The City of Pittsburgh and it’s fans pride themselves on championships, hall-of-fame players, and continued success. Anything short of raising banners is tough to swallow as the fuse for mediocrity is short in the Burgh. So Harp, criticize, and boo Marc Andre-Fleury all you want, but Fleury in my opinion is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ team MVP at this point in the season. Long Road Back…. It’s been repeated by every Fleury hater that his past success is due in large part to playing on one of the ... Read More
Ray Shero made the right call to bring back Dan Bylsma
It was a four-game series that very few saw coming. I heard some predictions say that the Boston Bruins would win the series against the Penguins. I mean, I was one of them. Most of the predictions that had the Bruins winning had the series going six or seven games. Not once, even from the biggest Boston version of a Yinzer, did I see anyone say a sweep. It was unfathomable. It truly was. It did, however, happen. All of the moves that Penguins General Manager Ray Shero made at the trade deadline ... Read More
Pens shutout by Bruins in Game 1
The Penguins threw 29 shots at Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask, but were unable to put one past him as the Bruins got two goals from David Krejci and one from Nathan Horton to secure a 3-0 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Consol Energy Center Saturday night. It is the first time the Penguins have been shutout in a playoff game since Game 7 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The eight day rest didn’t seem to affect the Penguins, as ... Read More
Storylines reign supreme in Bruins-Pens series
As many expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. To me, it's the series I was looking forward to as a hockey fan, but as a Penguins fan, I couldn't have been pulling harder for the Rangers. I think that the Bruins defensive scheme and the way they take advantage of turnovers (are you listening Geno and Tanger?), could haunt the Penguins. On paper, the Penguins are better and I hope my prediction of Bruins in seven games is off. While this ... Read More