Brooks Orpik of the Washington Capitals is suspended for three games after hitting Pittsburgh Penguins Olli Maatta in Saturday night’s game. Maatta was hit in the head by Orpik, causing him to become disoriented and leave for the rest of the game. After the hit, it was expected to be a major penalty, however the defenseman only received a penalty for interference. Maatta’s injury has been named an upper-body injury. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan stated that he is “not optimistic” about ... Read More
Three up, three down: Pens beat Caps, have a long road ahead
Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals exemplified why there was so much hype headed into round two. After T.J. Oshie barley nudged in a goal under Matt Murray's right leg pad, Eric Fehr and the Pittsburgh Penguins stormed back to tie up the series. A win is a win, especially against one of the league's most challenging opponents, but here are the takeaways from Saturday night's game. Three Up: One and Only One The Penguins ... Read More
Fehr scores game-winning goal, Murray shines in Game 2 of NHL Playoffs
After a heartbreaking Game 1 loss Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded and pulled off the 2-1 win in Game 2. Matt Murray dominated in-between the pipes for Pittsburgh, giving his team the advantage on the defensive side of things. Washington didn’t play lightly, slamming the Penguins into the boards, but Pittsburgh was ready and countered with the speed and elusiveness needed to escape the Capitals’ physical nature. Murray's Fury Murray played ... Read More
Game 2 Preview: Penguins must respond like they have all season
Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2) The Penguins are coming off of a heartbreaking loss. While it looked like they were going to come back from an early deficit, Pittsburgh failed to convert on some prime opportunities and got roughed around a bit. Still, the Penguins’ offense looked as good as it has all season. The defense, however, didn’t look good, and it could prove to be Pittsburgh's biggest disadvantage for the remainder of this series. The Penguins will need to work on escaping hits and on ... Read More
Three up, three down: Positive and negative takeaways from Game 1
Both experts and fans are split on how the second-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will unfold between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Game 1 didn’t help much in determining the eventual winner — the game went into overtime where the Capitals were able to just squeak by. Let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong for the Penguins in Game 1. Three Up: Competitiveness Going into the game, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding whether the ... Read More
Caps take Game 1 from Pens with overtime win
The Pittsburgh Penguins battled the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the series on Thursday at the Verizon Center in Washington. The Capitals took the series lead after a 4-3 overtime win. The first period proved to be a difficult one for the Penguins. The first goal of the game went to the Capitals’ Andre Burakovsky who scored after 10 minutes of play. The first period ending with a score of 1-0 Capitals. During the second period, the Penguins regained their confidence, scoring two goals ... Read More
Old rivals square off in second round
Pittsburgh Penguins (0-0) So far this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have played the Washington Capitals five times, winning three games and losing two. Going into Game 1, the Penguins continue to rely on goaltender Matt Murray, who came back after an upper-body injury to win the final three games in the series against the New York Rangers. Marc-Andre Fleury is still suffering from a concussion, and it is unknown at this time when he will be returning. In general, after a much-needed ... Read More
Pens send Rangers home to advance to second round
The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers, 6-3, at Consol Energy Center, and won the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, four games to one. Period One The first period proved to be slow for the Penguins, especially after the Rangers took a 1-0 lead when Rick Nash scored. After that, it was back and forth. Carl Hagelin scored the first goal for the Penguins, to tie the game. Dominic Moore quickly put the Rangers back in the lead, but the Penguins soon tied it up with a goal ... Read More
Game 5 Preview: Series victory within reach for Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1) Last time out, Matt Murray dazzled once again on the big stage and recorded his first-career playoff shootout. The offense got the job done, as well, giving the team some breathing room, building on an early lead and finishing with a total of five goals scored. The special teams of Pittsburgh played at an elite level. Not only did the power-play score on three of five chances, the power-kill played even better, giving New York no chance to establish consistent ... Read More
Penguins can win series at home after decisive win
The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1) dominated against the New York Rangers (1-3) and came one step closer to capping off the sweet revenge the Pens have sought for the last two years. Matt Murray got the start tonight in net and outperformed himself. Pittsburgh was able to put up an early 2-0 lead thanks to Eric Fehr and a Patric Hornqvist power-play goal. The 5-0 win by the Penguins puts Pittsburgh right in the driver seat of this series. The series will shift to Consol Energy Center, and with ... Read More