Penguins/NHL category, Page 158
Penguins mindful of — but not fixated on — Eastern Conference standings
The Eastern Conference playoff field is set. How it all shakes out, though, is yet to be determined. Barring a miracle, the Pittsburgh Penguins are locked into one of three postseason seeding spots: third place in the Metropolitan Division, the first wild card or the second (final) wild card. The...
Penguins defenseman Nathan Beaulieu offers a different element on the bluelineVideo
Nathan Beaulieu had a white Christmas. In April. As a spring snow squall covered windshields in the parking lot of the Penguins’ facility in Cranberry on Tuesday, Beaulieu was on the ice skating with his new team for the first time. “It kind of felt like Christmas for me today...
Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry’s right foot in boot
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry remains out, and his status remains termed as “week to week” with “a lower-body injury” by coach Mike Sullivan. The annual team photo Wednesday perhaps provided some hints to further provide clarity on Jarry’s ailment. Jarry’s right foot was in what appeared to be a...
Penguins add Phil Kessel’s sister, Amanda Kessel to front office
Just in time for the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins added Kessel. Probably not the one you’re thinking, though. The organization announced Wednesday that Olympic gold medalist Amanda Kessel will be the inaugural participant in what the Penguins are calling their new executive management program. A three-time Olympic medalist for Team...
Minor league report: Penguins shut out Bears in home finaleVideo
Goaltender Tommy Nappier made 24 saves and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 3-0 shutout of the rival Hershey Bears in their regular season home finale at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. Forward Michael Chaput had a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (34-29-4-4) while defenseman P.O Joseph...
Penguins reserve goaltender Louis Domingue vows to be ready when called upon, again
Louis Domingue made an immediate impression on Bryan Rust. Even across the gulf of two time zones. In his only appearance in net for the Penguins this season, Domingue was stout in leading the Penguins to a hard-fought 2-1 overtime road win against the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 15....
Penguins’ power play mired in 1-for-20 slump
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2-1 road loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday was one of the team’s flattest performances of the season from an offensive perspective. The Penguins were limited to 24 shots, tied for their fifth-lowest total of the season (with the low-water mark of 21 coming in a...
Penguins to wear Highmark patch on home black jerseys starting next season
The Pittsburgh Penguins will add a sponsor patch to their home black game jerseys starting next season, the team announced Tuesday. The Penguins and Highmark announced a multi-year agreement that will feature the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield patch on the upper right chest area of the jerseys. Highmark will...
Tristan Jarry’s injury suddenly increases importance of Penguins’ playoff seeding
For months, my opinion on the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins has remained consistent. Given how clearcut the postseason hierarchy has been in the Eastern Conference, it’s been easy to conclude which teams would make the playoffs and which teams would be left out of the mix. The only question...
Tim Benz: Penguins players praise Boston College’s Jerry York for historic career in wake of his retirement
When Boston College hockey coach Jerry York retired last week after 28 years on the job, he did so without all the fanfare that was directed toward Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. But York leaves his sport with a resume that is every bit as impressive. He does so while...
Recent goal streak puts spotlight on Danton Heinen’s productive debut season with Penguins
When Danton Heinen left PPG Paints Arena early in the evening April 9, he didn’t have much professional reason to celebrate. Heinen just endured a fourth consecutive loss with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had scored in just one of his previous 13 games. Later that night, though, Heinen was celebrating...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ goaltending situation is nobody’s fault
With Tristan Jarry potentially out for the start of the playoffs with a reported broken foot, the Penguins have a goaltending dilemma. But it’s nobody’s fault. Sure, GM Ron Hextall could have traded for a backup superior to Casey DeSmith. Perhaps Hextall should have. But would that acquisition win a...
Madden Monday: After Tristan Jarry’s injury, Penguins are ‘hitting the trifecta of doom’
Many Penguins fans had talked themselves into a state of optimism regarding their team’s playoff chances during the regular season. And much of that hope was built on the premise that goaltender Tristan Jarry’s All-Star-worthy regular season was proof he had rebounded from his awful playoff series against the New...
Mike Matheson evolves into one of the Penguins’ most reliable playersVideo
Mike Matheson was in an unusual situation last week. A fight. During the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime home win against the Nashville Predators on April 10, the veteran defenseman dropped the gloves for only the second time in his seven-year career. His choice of combatants? Predators power forward Tanner Jeannot, a...
Minor league report: Juuso Riikola, Penguins edge IslandersVideo
Defenseman Juuso Riikola recorded a career-best four assists for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 6-5 home win against the Bridgeport Islanders at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Forwards Drew O’Connor, Valtteri Puustinen and defenseman Mitch Reinke each had a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (33-29-4-4) while goaltender...
Minus goaltender Tristan Jarry, Penguins stymied by Bruins
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a difficult time winning the Stanley Cup without the services of All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry. On Saturday, they had plenty of trouble just trying to generate offense. A stout defensive effort by the Boston Bruins stymied the Penguins’ attack and led to a 2-1 victory...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry sidelined indefinitely
Penguins starting goaltender Tristan Jarry will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed injury. His status was announced by head coach Mike Sullivan on Saturday to media in Boston. Sullivan did not offer a specific timeframe for Jarry’s recovery other than to label it as “week to week.” The Penguins...
Minor league report: Valtteri Puustinen leads Penguins to overtime winVideo
An overtime goal by forward Valtteri Puustinen gave the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 3-2 home win against the rival Hershey Bears at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Forward Alex Nylander and defenseman Juuso Riikola each recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (32-29-4-4) while goaltender Tommy Nappier made 28 saves on...
Penguins notes: 1st game vs. Bruins since Brad Marchand attack of Tristan Jarry
A strict adherent to the athlete doctrine of focusing on his own game and not on the opponents’ strengths or other outside factors, Casey DeSmith insists he’s not fazed by facing the Boston Bruins and their aggressive net-front presence. DeSmith did, though, offer one caveat. “I guess I have to...
Needed now with Tristan Jarry out, Casey DeSmith’s confidence has been renewed for Penguins
By way of the Gregorian calendar, it was less than five months ago that Casey DeSmith opened the season with a personal four-game losing streak and bloated goals-against average. But to DeSmith, late-October through mid-November 2021 feels like a lot longer ago than that. “It’s ancient history,” the goalie said...
Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry has lower-body injury, will not play Saturday
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry has a lower-body injury and is not traveling with the team to Boston for their game Saturday against the Bruins. Jarry was not at practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Friday, and coach Mike Sullivan said afterward that Jarry was being...
Mark Madden: Many Penguins’ catalysts are done getting better, but Jake Guentzel offers hope moving forward
Jake Guentzel is a coach’s kid and Sidney Crosby’s linemate. That’s a combination that dictates excellence. “Guentzel is as perfect as can be without being Sid.” That’s what ex-Pittsburgh Penguin and current TV analyst Mike Rupp said after Guentzel dropped two goals and two assists in the Penguins’ 6-3 home...
Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist signs tryout with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist has signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of this season. The 20-year-old recently completed the 2021-22 season in the Liiga, the top-tier league in his native Finland. In 20 games with Karpat, Blomqvist had a 6-3-5 record, a...
Tim Benz: For Penguins, sharpening their game is more important than playoff opponent
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, 16 straight playoff appearances is something to embrace. That’s the longest active streak in North American team sports. Their other two active playoff streaks are ones the organization would desperately like to shake. • Four consecutive series losses. • Three straight years of the franchise losing...
Penguins earn 16th straight playoff berth by beating Islanders
This is not the ultimate goal. And it’s never guaranteed, though it’s definitely a fair expectation. But most certainly, it’s always worth making note of the significance. For the past decade and a half, the Penguins have qualified for the playoffs. Through four head coaches, three general managers, two arenas,...
