Penguins/NHL category, Page 309
Injured Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta rejoins team for morning skate
RALEIGH, N.C. – When Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta went down with a shoulder injury Feb. 11 in Philadelphia, the team said he would be out indefinitely. Maatta took a significant step toward putting a timetable on his return Tuesday morning in Raleigh. Maatta took part in a practice with...
Penguins show faith in rookie Teddy Blueger after injury to Evgeni Malkin
RALEIGH, N.C. – Due to the ability of in-season acquisitions Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad to play multiple positions up and down the lineup, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan had a plethora of options to choose from when figuring out how to replace injured center Evgeni Malkin. He decided to...
Kris Letang returns to Penguins lineup vs. Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. – Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang made his return from an upper-body injury Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, starting the game in his customary spot on the right side of the team’s top defense pair with Brian Dumoulin. “I’ve been feeling pretty good,” Letang said. “It’s just...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Roethlisberger, Bell, Penguins’ bad weekend, Pirates infield
Thanks to an off-day, this week’s “Madden Monday” comes on a Tuesday. We get into: • Josh Harris’ accusation that Ben Roethlisberger fumbled on purpose against the Bengals. Why is this information just coming out now? • Le’Veon Bell’s failed contract. The spin continues! LISTEN: Mark Madden, Tim Benz discuss...
Survival tips for Penguins while Evgeni Malkin is sidelined by injury
On March 11, 2016, Evgeni Malkin suffered an upper-body injury after a collision with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout. The Pittsburgh Penguins had gone 5-5-0 in their previous 10 games and were seventh in the Eastern Conference, only three points ahead of the ninth-place Philadelphia Flyers. Missing the playoffs...
Failure to protect leads a growing late-season problem for Penguins
Statistically speaking, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the best teams in the league at protecting third-period leads. They’re 32-0-3 when leading after two periods this season, one of only four teams in the NHL that haven’t lost in regulation under those circumstances. Recent results, though, tell a vastly different...
Flyers score twice late, stun Penguins in overtimeVideo
When the Pittsburgh Penguins found out they would be without star center Evgeni Malkin on a week-to-week basis because of an upper-body injury, they were down. The Philadelphia Flyers enjoy nothing more than kicking their longtime cross-state rivals when they’re in that condition. James van Riemsdyk scored the tying goal...
Penguins notebook: Evgeni Malkin out, Bryan Rust in against Flyers
Just when the Pittsburgh Penguins were nearly healthy up front, they were dealt a massive blow on the injury front Sunday. Evgeni Malkin will be out on a week-to-week basis with an upper-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan said after his team lost 2-1 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers. Sullivan...
Playoff-chasing Penguins put aside memories of outdoor loss to Flyers
Despite the bad blood that has been building between the long-time rivals this season, shenanigans aren’t in the forecast when the Pittsburgh Penguins play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night. The standings are probably too tight to expend energy on extracurricular activities. When the teams met Feb. 11,...
Dominik Simon ends long goal drought in Penguins’ loss to Blues
The Pittsburgh Penguins came into March with three forwards lugging around lengthy goal droughts. The third zero has finally been erased. Dominik Simon scored his first goal in 21 games during the second period of a 5-1 Penguins loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. “It’s obviously always...
Matt Murray pulled as Penguins’ winning streak ends with loss to BluesVideo
For most of the last few weeks, almost everything was going right for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top line. On Saturday afternoon, almost everything went wrong. Sidney Crosby couldn’t get a handful of brilliant scoring chances past goalie Jordan Binnington, Crosby and linemates Jake Guentzel and Jared McCann were on the...
Bryan Rust, Kris Letang remain out as Penguins take on Blues
The Pittsburgh Penguins are expecting Bryan Rust and Kris Letang to return from injury in short order, but they won’t be in the lineup Saturday afternoon. Coach Mike Sullivan said Rust and Letang will remain out as the Penguins play host to the St. Louis Blues. Letang has been out...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ current play features encouraging signs
It’s easy to overreact to the Penguins’ good play. Every team’s season has ups and downs. The Penguins have looked excellent winning six of their last seven. They were horrific losing nine of 10 from Oct. 30-Nov. 19. But the current uptick definitely features encouraging signs. Goaltending is key, as...
Bryan Rust nears return, but where does he fit in Penguins’ lineup?Video
Only 11 regular-season games separate the Pittsburgh Penguins from the urgent, pressurized grind of the postseason, but for now these are hopeful — if busy — times for one of the NHL’s hottest teams. Especially for Bryan Rust (lower body), who joined Kris Letang (upper body) as injured Penguins who...
Patric Hornqvist heating up as Penguins mount late-season charge
BUFFALO, N.Y. – In the waning moments of Tuesday’s win over the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist came to the conclusion that this just might not be his year when it comes to scoring goals. Forty-eight hours later, after scoring a second-period power-play goal that helped his team...
Penguins’ Casey DeSmith answers call with shutout of SabresVideo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — While the Pittsburgh Penguins have been putting together a late-season surge the last few weeks, winning five of six games coming into Thursday night, they had a 6-foot-4 insurance policy standing behind them. Goalie Matt Murray had made nine consecutive starts and was playing some of his...
With Kris Letang out, defensemen take turns leading Penguins in ice time
BUFFALO, N.Y. – When Kris Letang went down with an upper-body injury during the outdoor game in Philadelphia on Feb. 23, the remaining healthy defensemen on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster realized it would require a collaborative effort to replace him. They’re taking that concept to the extreme. The Penguins have...
Ex-Penguins winger Conor Sheary heating up for Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. – When the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, the most dangerous scorer on the other bench might be a familiar face. With Jack Eichel serving the second game of a two-game suspension Thursday night and Jeff Skinner slumping, Conor Sheary is Buffalo’s leading scorer...
Injury news good for Penguins’ Bryan Rust, bad for Zach Aston-Reese
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The news was good for Bryan Rust, bad for Zach Aston-Reese and status quo for Kris Letang and Olli Maatta as Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan gave an injury update Thursday afternoon. Rust made the trip to Buffalo with the team and participated in morning skate in...
Penguins give Matt Murray night off in Buffalo
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Matt Murray’s streak of consecutive starts in net for the Pittsburgh Penguins won’t hit double digits. After turning to Murray to start the team’s previous nine games, coach Mike Sullivan will use backup Casey DeSmith in goal for Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Murray was...
Tim Benz, Jonathan Bombulie discuss Penguins’ strong push, injury updates
It’s our weekly Sided.co Penguins podcast with Tribune-Review beat writer Jonathan Bombulie. We open up wondering if labor peace in the NHL could be a model for the NFL. Then we talk about how the Penguins have blended good play with entertaining hockey of late. LISTEN: Penguins making strong push...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ speed starting to dominate again
The comment from Nick Bjugstad resonated after the Pittsburgh Penguins blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-0, on March 7. “It’s a little different style than what I was used to,” the former Florida Panther forward said. “These guys play … fast! It’s a fun way to play.” Even with Bjugstad’s...
Kevin Gorman: Pros and cons to Penguins playing playoff hockey in March
The Pittsburgh Penguins are providing a treat typically reserved for April and beyond, playing a brand of hockey over a seven-game stretch this month that has positioned them for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins are 5-1-1 since March 1, with back-to-back wins over two of the NHL’s hottest teams...
5 fun facts about Evgeni Malkin’s 1,000-point milestone
Considering the only 88 players have reached the 1,000-point milestone in the 102-year history of the NHL, it’s pretty remarkable that PPG Paints Arena has hosted two such celebrations in the span of a little more than two years. Evgeni Malkin hit 1,000 with a third-period assist on a Phil...
Crosby, Ovechkin share tender moment after Penguins beat Capitals
Talk about respect. While Evgeni Malkin was showered with congratulations for notching his 1,000th point during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-3 win Tuesday, the other Russian-born superstar in the game hit a milestone of his own. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin earned his 1,200th point with an assist on John Carlson’s...
