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
NHL releases Pittsburgh Penguins first-round playoff schedule
The NHL released the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoff first-round schedule early Sunday morning with the Penguins beginning their quest for the cup against the Presidents Trophy winner New York Rangers in The Big Apple on Thursday night. The Pens will be without defensemen Kris Letang, who is done until next season due to a concussion sustained on March 28 from a hit by Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan. That came days after the team officially ruled Foreward Pascal Dupuis out for the remainder of the ... Read More
Sutter saves playoff-bound Pens
Brandon Sutter scored twice and Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his league-leading tenth shutout in a regular season finale that clinched a playoff berth for the recently downtrodden Pittsburgh Penguins (43-27-12, 98 pts) by way of a 2-0 victory over the last-place Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on Saturday. Sutter broke a scoreless tie at 14:23 of the second period, burying a backhand opportunity past Anders Lindback for a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes into the third period, it was Sutter again, ... Read More
Pens will wrap up regular season in Buffalo
The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a familiar place – sort of. For the third straight game, a win will clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and for the third straight game, a loss won’t necessarily eliminate them, either. Tonight’s opponent: the lowly Buffalo Sabres, who have already clinched the worst record in the NHL. The Penguins can clinch a playoff berth today under a number of scenarios: 1. A win in regulation 2. An overtime loss, coupled with an Ottawa loss in ... 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
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
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