Penguins/NHL category, Page 282
After playing 7 of first 9 at home, Penguins embrace heading out on road
After playing seven of their first nine games at PPG Paints Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins left Monday for a three-game road trip. Games at Florida (on Tuesday), Tampa Bay (on Wednesday) and Dallas (on Saturday) mark their only three-game road stretch of the season until the week before Christmas. There...
Penguins’ Mike Sullivan ‘hams’ his way through questioning the usefulness of morning skatesVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan isn’t alone among modern NHL personnel in questioning the usefulness of the gameday morning skate. But he’s one of the few who called it “the most overrated practice in hockey.” And he’s most certainly the only coach, player or executive who compared morning skates to...
With returns of several injured forwards nearing, Penguins insist they’ll stick to adopted styleVideo
Two of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top nine forwards are close to returning to action after extended absences because of injury. Two others in that category inched closer to returns of their own. It’s a welcomed development for a team whose forward lineup has been depleted over the first three weeks...
Tim Benz, Brian Metzer discuss Penguins’ goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury’s play
No Madden Monday this week, as Mark Madden is off for a few days. So consider this a “Metzer Monday.” Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins me for his weekly hockey chat a day earlier than normal. And why not? It was a busy weekend of Pittsburgh Penguins...
Moving defensemen to forward isn’t anything new for the Penguins
As a native of Finland in his second season playing in North America, English is a second language for Juuso Riikola. When answering questions from reporters, he tends not to be verbose and is straight to the point. Riikola, whose English is infinitely superior to the average Pittsburgh reporter’s Finnish,...
Empty Thoughts: Golden Knights 3, Penguins 0
Observations from the Penguins’ 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. First things first, Mike Sullivan declined to offer updates on defenseman Brian Dumoulin and forward Jared McCann. Dumoulin participated in warmups but was a late scratch. And McCann, who missed Wednesday’s home game against the Colorado Avalanche due to...
Marc-Andre Fleury helps Golden Knights snap Penguins winning streakVideo
In a lot of ways, Saturday served as a showcase for the Penguins’ track record of drafting and developing goaltenders in the 21st century. One of those netminders they have spent countless hours and incalcuable effort cultivating offered yet another spellbinding peformance on a stage where he has dazzled on...
Brian Dumoulin, Jared McCann scratched for Penguins vs. Golden Knights
The Penguins are missing two more of their regular players for Saturday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena. Defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Jared McCann are scratched from the lineup. In their place will be defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Juuso Riikola. There was no immediate word on...
Penguins will start Tristan Jarry against Marc-Andre Fleury
The Penguins will conclude their three-game homestand at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights with backup Tristan Jarry in net. Jarry is scheduled to start his second game of the season. His first came in a 7-2 road win against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. During...
From Hollidaysburg to Pittsburgh, Penguins rookie Sam Lafferty writing ‘awesome story’
It’s not that difficult to get from Hollidaysburg to Pittsburgh. You just hop on Route 22, taking it until it runs into Interstate 376 and you’re there. The only toll it extracts is on your tolerance for potholes and orange PennDot construction barrels over a two-hour stretch. The road from...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 4, Stars 2
Observations from the Penguins’ 4-2 win against the Stars. The story of the Penguins to this embryonic point of the regular season are the injuries up front. For better or worse, they’re beat up. Yet, it’s led to quite a bit of opportunity for so many of their lower-tiered players...
Matt Murray’s timely save lifts the Penguins past the StarsVideo
Mike Sullivan has plenty of phrases or idioms he leans on. Being “conscientious” on defense is one of them. The “200-foot” game is a classic. And don’t forget “drill down” when the Penguins’ coach explains how he evaluates many things. His greatest hit might just be the “timely save.” Matt...
Ex-Penguins defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is getting a second chance with the Stars
Things were a bit awkward for Jamie Oleksiak last Christmas. Traveling home to Toronto during the NHL’s holiday break in December, he was stopped at a New York-Ontario border crossing and asked if he was traveling for business or pleasure. It was pleasure, as he was visiting his family. He...
Dominik Kahun still searching for first goal with PenguinsVideo
Dominik Kahun is something of a rarity among the Penguins forwards. First, he’s healthy. Unlike so many of his teammates, Kahun has nary a scratch on his body. But most importantly, he’s the only able-bodied forward on the roster who has yet to score a goal through seven games. “It’s...
Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust participate in Penguins’ morning skate
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ morning skate at PPG Paints Arena on Friday featured a rarity. Actual players on the ice. As they get deeper into the regular season, the Penguins have opted to make their morning skates optional and the vast majority of players — at least those who aren’t destined...
Penguins’ Jared McCann practices, could send Juuso Riikola back to ‘D’
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann resumed practicing Thursday in Cranberry. He missed Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche because of an undisclosed injury. “He had a good practice,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “His status is the same. He’s day-to-day, so he’ll be a game-time decision (Friday). But certainly...
Adam Johnson hoping to make it big with PenguinsVideo
Hibbing is small city of just over 15,000 people in the northeastern corner of Minnesota, right in the state’s famed Iron Range. It’s a modest place that was built up primarily on mining in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While iron ore is what Hibbing largely exists on,...
Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk suffered an allergic reactionVideo
Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk, already sidelined due to an undisclosed “lower-body” injury, is also recovering from an unspecified allergic reaction. On Wednesday, TSN reported Galchenyuk suffered a spider bite and that his reaction has delayed his recovery from the injury he initially suffered during training camp. “It’s not confirmed that...
First Call: Who would punch Myles Garrett in the face? Early goal of the year candidateVideo
It’s our final “First Call” before an extended Steelers bye weekend. We tip our cap to Dan Potash’s efforts on ‘70s night. There was one goal last night even better than Sidney Crosby’s. And someone was dumb enough to punch Myles Garrett in the face. Hit and run? If I...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 3, Avalanche 2
Observations from the Penguins’ 3-2 win against the Avalanche. The Penguins drove the message all offseason about playing with a greater level of hunger and urgency and attentiveness (and every other platitude you can apply to the concept of desire) than what the 2018-19 version of the club displayed. And...
Brandon Tanev’s daring overtime goal gives Penguins win over AvalancheVideo
Brandon Tanev isn’t timid. The laceration on his nose, which never seems to heal, would suggest he’s not afraid of much on an NHL rink. Regularly involved in truculent on-ice interactions and consistently the entity initiating contact instead of waiting for its arrival, Tanev is no shrinking violet. The courage...
Penguins dress Juuso Riikola on left wing with Jared McCann sidelined
Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola made his season debut against the Avalanche at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday, just not where his position designates him. With forward Jared McCann sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, the Penguins promoted forward Sam Lafferty from the right wing of the fourth line to the...
Erik Gudbranson gets used to left side for Penguins
Erik Gudbranson was in a foreign place Sunday. No, not Winnipeg. The veteran Penguins defenseman has played there a handful of times throughout his nine NHL seasons. The unfamiliar realm he ventured into was the port side of the ice at Bell MTS Place. After being a scratch for two...
Former Penguins defenseman Ian Cole bounces back from double hip surgery
Things looked different to Ian Cole when he watched the Pittsburgh Penguins practice at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. He didn’t recognize many of the players on the ice. Cole left the Penguins late in the 2017-18 season when he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the deal that...
Tim Benz, Seth Rorabaugh: Who will run out of players first? Steelers or Penguins?
Which team is going to rack up more injuries this year? The Steelers or the Penguins? The Steelers have a bigger roster. So they have more chances for guys to get hurt. But at the rate they are going, I give the Penguins a shot at keeping up. Seriously, this...
