Penguins/NHL category, Page 303
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: For Penguins, everyone is a game-time decision
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Penguins had an optional skate Friday at Nassau Coliseum, so the absence of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang didn’t raise any eyebrows. When Matt Murray did not participate, however, it begged an obvious question: Is he still starting...
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan opts for physicality on 4th line
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — When Zach Aston-Reese was cleared to return from a lower-body injury before the start of a first-round series with the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan had to decide what kind of identity he wanted his fourth line to take. He opted for physicality. For...
Overtime woes grow into troubling trend for Penguins
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – When the Pittsburgh Penguins went 5-9 in overtime in the regular season, it was easy to chalk up the poor record to the peculiarities of the tiebreaking format. From the difficulty of making sensible line changes to the outsized impact a turnover can have, three-on-three hockey provides...
After playoffs debut, Penguins’ Jared McCann ready for moreVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — After getting his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 1 against the New York Islanders, Jared McCann is ready for more. The 22-year-old forward was the only Pittsburgh Penguins player in the Game 1 lineup who hadn’t participated in the postseason, so the 4-3...
Penguins’ Erik Gudbranson breathes sigh of relief after ugly Game 1 injury
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – When he went crashing into the boards in the third period of Game 1 against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, his availability for Game 2 wasn’t the first thing on the mind of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson. He was more concerned with making sure...
Why Penguins coach Mike Sullivan might stick with Game 1 lineup
In Friday’s Sided.co podcast, Jonathan Bombulie, the Trib’s Penguins beat writer, joins me from Long Island to preview Game 2 of the Penguins-Islanders series. We figure out why Mike Sullivan may stick with his failed lineup decisions from Game 1 against the Islanders. We also talk about why Phil Kessel...
Penguins forced to thrive in Long Island hornet’s nest
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – In the first round of last year’s playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers fans yelled profanities so profane that they would make a Teamster blush. In the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, Nashville Predators fans were chucking catfish in their general direction. For most of the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, a playoff...
3 not-so-obvious keys for Penguins in Game 2 vs. Islanders
Teams that play successful playoff hockey often talk about doing enough little things right that they become big things. Here are three not-so-obvious things the Pittsburgh Penguins could do in Game 2 on Friday night to even their first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders. Tips, not screens Justin...
Penguins notebook: History indicates Matt Murray primed for bounceback
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray has a mantra about the mental side of the game that he repeats all season long. His focus is on stopping the next shot and nothing else. Ask him about his mindset during any stretch of a game — from the moment...
Kevin Gorman: Islanders should be alarmed by Sidney Crosby’s scoreless gameVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. Something was missing next to Sidney Crosby’s name on the score sheet for the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the 100-point scorer went scoreless. Statistically speaking, Game 1 against the New York Islanders wasn’t a great showing for the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. He didn’t produce...
Penguins seek improvement from blue line in Game 2 vs. Islanders
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — With coach Mike Sullivan facing a significant roster decision and the New York Islanders trying to stab at their softest spots, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ defense corps has opened the postseason under siege. How they handle the adversity very well could determine if this playoff run is a...
Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson grapples with sitting out playoff opener
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Jack Johnson has been a healthy scratch before in his career. As recently as last season, he sat on the sidelines while his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates faced the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. Did that experience make it easier to deal with...
Ex-Penguins winger Tom Kuhnhackl plays surprising role in Islanders’ Game 1 win
Where Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is getting criticized for his lineup decisions in Game 1 of the Penguins’ playoff series against the Islanders, Barry Trotz is getting praise for one of his. The Islanders coach decided to dress former Penguins winger and two-time Stanley Cup champion Tom Kuhnhackl. And he...
Islanders keep Sidney Crosby in check in series opener vs. Penguins
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – For large chunks of this season, Sidney Crosby’s line did the heavy lifting for the Pittsburgh Penguins while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were mired in long slumps. In the playoff opener Wednesday night on Long Island, the opposite was true. Malkin and Kessel scored goals and...
Podcast: What went wrong for Penguins vs. Islanders in Game 1?
It’s our weekly Sided.co hockey podcast with Pens Radio Network host Brian Metzer. He worked the postgame show Wednesday night on 105.9 the X after the Penguins lost 4-3 in overtime on Long Island in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Metzer and I picked it apart top-to-bottom. LISTEN:...
Tim Benz: Plenty to anger Penguins fans in Game 1 loss to Islanders
What does it mean? Big picture. That Game 1 loss of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs for the Penguins against the Islanders. For me, it means a series that I thought would go Pittsburgh’s way in five games will now end in six. That’s all. Otherwise, that 4-3 overtime defeat...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins provide no defense for Mike Sullivan’s scratchVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Mike Sullivan made a double-edged decision on his defensemen that he kept calling difficult, one that ultimately backfired on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first part was simple: If Brian Dumoulin was good to go, playing him was a no-brainer. The second part was a struggle: Making Jack...
Islanders capitalize on Penguins missteps for Game 1 overtime winVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Facing the league’s best defensive team, the Pittsburgh Penguins came into Wednesday night’s playoff opener against the New York Islanders knowing they’d have to be patient. They talked about it all week in practice. They couldn’t force things in the offensive zone. They needed to made prudent...
Penguins Game 1: Josh Bailey’s rebound goal sends Islanders to OT win
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — OVERTIME: Josh Bailey was denied by the post in the final seconds of regulation. He scored on a shot after the puck bounced off the post at 4:39 into overtime to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Penguins in Game 1 of their...
Brian Dumoulin in, Jack Johnson out for Penguins’ playoff opener
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Brian Dumoulin was in the lineup and Jack Johnson was out as the Pittsburgh Penguins opened the playoffs against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. Dumoulin, who missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, was set to open Game 1...
To see Penguins playoff intensity on display, watch these areas of the ice
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The idea that the intensity of the game increases exponentially once the regular season ends and the Stanley Cup playoffs begin is an accepted fact around the NHL. Players treat it like an article of faith. Fans, huddled around their televisions, swear by it. Entire ad campaigns...
Penguins’ Mike Sullivan, Islanders’ Barry Trotz set for cat-and-mouse game
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – While the increased intensity among players is plain to see for anyone watching even one shift of playoff hockey, this is also the most intense time of the year for coaches. One coach comes out with a wrinkle in his forecheck or breakout for Game 1. His...
Penguins’ Jared McCann jittery before 1st career playoff gameVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Jared McCann was so excited about making his Stanley Cup playoffs debut that he found it “tough to sleep.” The Pittsburgh Penguins forward kept the same pre-game rituals Wednesday at the morning skate but didn’t quite know what differences to expect between the regular season and Game...
Brian Dumoulin’s status remains uncertain as Penguins prepare for playoff opener
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The status of defenseman Brian Dumoulin remained up in the air as the Pittsburgh Penguins prepared for Wednesday night’s playoff opener against the New York Islanders. Dumoulin did not participate in an optional morning skate Wednesday and coach Mike Sullivan said his status would be a game-time...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Defensive depth brings big decisions for Penguins
When it comes to deciding the defense pairings for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs first-round series against the New York Islanders, Mike Sullivan has some important decisions to make. Just don’t call them difficult. The Pittsburgh Penguins are as about as healthy as they have been on defense...
