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
Who the hell is Monica Wignot?
When the Pittsburgh March Madness started, everyone had the same expectations. It was going to be the four No. 1 seeds — Ben Roethlisberger, Sidney Crosby, Andrew McCutchen and Antonio Brown — in the Final Four. That’s just how it works. Except this time, it wasn’t. In the first round, when we logged on to check the results to see who advanced, one result made our jaw drop: #16. Monica Wignot - 459 votes vs. #1. Andrew McCutchen - 455 votes. For the first time ever in a tournament, a ... 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
Pittsburgh March Madness championship
Well, it all comes down to this. The three-week journey from the field of 64 ends today with the Pittsburgh March Madness championship. The last two standing are Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Monica Wignot, a relatively unknown competitor when the contest started, to a controversial name in the city given her dominance in her bracket. Can she do it again? We'll find out by 9 a.m. on Tuesday, when the Pittsburgh March Madness champion will be named. #1. Sidney ... Read More
Pens blow two-goal lead to Blue Jackets
With the Penguins struggling to score goals over the last few weeks, a 2-0 lead midway through Saturday afternoon’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets seemed to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Instead, it was the Penguins defense, which has kept them in so many games lately, that faltered, giving up four consecutive goals en route to a 5-3 loss in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have now won nine consecutive games. The Penguins build their lead with an up-tempo offense that saw the ... Read More
Penguins can’t solve Flyers; Malkin out with injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins might eventually win another game at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. The Pens dropped their seventh consecutive game to their cross-state rivals and five straight games at Consol Energy Center by losing a 4-1 decision on Wednesday night. The game, as many against the Flyers have lately, started out promising for the Penguins. Captain Sidney Crosby collected the rebound of a Patric Hornqvist shot and chipped it past the outstretched ... Read More
Penalty kill comes up big as Pens beat Sharks in shootout
The Pittsburgh Penguins were playing their second game in as many nights on Sunday evening against the San Jose Sharks, and they were playing short a defenseman, with Kris Letang missing the game with a concussion. So when the Penguins and Sharks needed overtime to settle things, and the Patric Hornqvist took a four-minute high-sticking penalty, things certainly looked bleak for the black and goal, but the Penguins were able to kill off the penalty and beat the Sharks 3-2 in a ... Read More
Pens embarrassed by last-place Canes
The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost 23 games in regulation this season. Thursday night’s 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes might have been the most embarrassing of the bunch. The Hurricanes came into the contest having lost nine out of their last 11 games and are closer to the bottom of the table than a playoff spot. That didn’t seem to stop them from thrashing a listless Penguins club. The Penguins started out on the right foot, outshooting the Canes 14-7 in the opening frame and taking a ... Read More
Can Crosby finally light the lamp against the Blues?
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will try to get a monkey off his back, and hopefully lead his team to another victory over a Western Conference foe, when his Penguins take on the St. Louis Blues tonight. The Blues are the only team that Crosby has never scored against in his 10-year NHL career. In the teams’ first matchup this season, he had an assist, but was a minus-2 two, and couldn’t find the back of the net despite five shots on goal. The rest of the Penguins haven’t fared much better ... Read More