Penguins/NHL category, Page 163
For the Penguins, Rickard Rakell ‘adds the dimension that we wanted to add’Video
Pittsburgh Penguins management maintained a pretty good poker face leading up until the trade deadline Monday. Whether it be general manager Ron Hextall or president of hockey operations Brian Burke, the franchise’s public stance over the past handful of weeks and months was one of comfort with the status quo....
Penguins acquire forward Rickard Rakell from DucksVideo
The Penguins found some sorely needed middle six-scoring at the NHL’s trade deadline by acquiring forward Rickard Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks. Rakell, 28, is in the final year of a six-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $3,789,444. Per the terms of the deal, the Ducks will...
Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman’s journey continues
It was arguably the most important day of his professional career. And Mark Friedman slept in. On Sunday, after Friedman and his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates trekked back from Arizona after a game with the Coyotes on Saturday, Friedman opted to slumber as it was a day off for the squad....
Penguins prospect Clayton Phillips signs tryout contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed former Penn State defenseman Clayton Phillips to an amateur tryout contract (ATO). Phillips was a third-round pick (No. 93 overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2017 draft. He remains unsigned at the NHL level. In order to retain his NHL rights, the Penguins must...
Penguins forward Radim Zohorna assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Penguins have assigned forward Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 12 NHL games this season, Zohorna has three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 11:10 of ice time per contest. For the past three games, Zohorna has primarily been deployed on the left...
Penguins acquire defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from Jets
The Penguins were busy overnight. In the early hours of Monday, they acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in this year’s draft. According to Cap Friendly, the conditions of the trade require the Penguins to win three playoff rounds and...
Minor league report: Nailers fall to Wings in overtimeVideo
Despite four goals by forward Patrick Watling, the Wheeling Nailers were defeated in overtime by the Kalamazoo Wings, 7-6, at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Sunday. Forward Sam Houde recorded five assists for Wheeling (31-25-2-0) while forward Justin Almeida added a goal and two assists. Goaltender Brody...
Penguins sign defenseman Mark Friedman to contract extensionVideo
Less than 24 hours before the NHL’s trade deadline, the Penguins secured a bit of their future. On Sunday, the team signed reserve defenseman Mark Friedman to a two-year, one-way contract extension that carries a salary cap hit of $775,000. This season, Friedman has appeared in 20 NHL games and...
Penguins’ options limited as trade deadline approaches
The Penguins roster is bound to look different after Monday’s trade deadline. After all, injured forward Jason Zucker is in the process of rehabilitating a core muscle injury that has hobbled him since December. But the possibility of any kind of transaction that would involve adding an external piece appears...
Minor league report: Louis Domingue, Penguins hold off CometsVideo
Goaltender Louis Domingue made 26 saves on 28 shots and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 3-2 home win against the Utica Comets at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Forwards Jordy Bellerive, Filip Hallander and Sam Poulin all scored for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (26-24-4-4). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is...
Evgeni Malkin, Kasperi Kapanen snap scoring slumps as Penguins beat Coyotes
With the NHL’s trade deadline looming (Monday, 3 p.m.), the Penguins’ roster could look different in a matter of days. Or it might not. There has been little to suggest general manager Ron Hextall is in position with regards to the franchise’s salary cap flexibility to make a significant transaction....
Minor league report: Penguins shut out by CrunchVideo
Goaltender Louis Domingue made 32 saves on 33 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 1-0 home loss to the Syracuse Crunch at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. It marked the fourth time this season that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (25-23-4-4) has been shut out. Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is...
Why are the Penguins scoring so many empty netters?Video
There was a time not long ago (2018, to be precise) when an empty net was something of a curse for Bryan Rust. The Penguins forward often would miss the cage with a shot from the neutral zone. And seemingly the only time his shot didn’t miss the net, it...
Mark Madden: Evgeni Malkin needs a winger; here’s a move the Penguins could try
Evgeni Malkin has gone six games without a point. It’s the longest slump of his career. But he’s playing OK. Malkin has taken on a bigger physical burden than usual. He’s trying hard to get things accomplished. He had points in seven consecutive games prior. Malkin’s problem is his wingers....
Penguins find balance in shootout win against Blues
With roughly six weeks remaining the regular season, Mike Sullivan is trying some new things. Research and development, if you will. The Penguins’ coach has flipped the right wingers on the team’s top two lines and he’s all but shuffled his defensive pairings using a bingo cage the past handful...
Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson returns to lineup
Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson returned to the lineup for a road contest against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Thursday. A healthy scratch the previous two games, Pettersson opened the game on the third pairing with defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. Before this week, Pettersson never had been a healthy...
Penguins forward prospect Filip Hallander is still competing for a spotVideo
Filip Hallander didn’t mince words back in September. During the Penguins’ development camp roughly six months ago, the forward prospect made his intentions clear. “I’m here to take a spot.” Those designs never got off the ground, however, thanks in part to an undisclosed injury that hobbled him at the...
First Call: Eagles may be out on Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster; Browns may be out on Baker Mayfield; tough night in the Metro
In “First Call” for Wednesday, Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is still looking for work. And he may not find it anywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania. Baker Mayfield is acting like a quarterback who knows he may be traded, even if the Cleveland Browns don’t get Deshaun Watson....
Line changes spark little offense for Penguins in loss to Predators
The trio of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust might be the NHL’s top line, let alone the Pittsburgh Penguins’ best. Their success largely has carried the Penguins’ five-on-five play for the bulk of the 2021-22 season. At the same time, the Penguins have become a somewhat top-heavy squad...
Penguins to honor retired Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger before March 29 game
The first local professional sports franchise to formally honor the retired Ben Roethlisberger with a pregame ceremony won’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, it will involve a puck. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Tuesday that Roethlisberger will take part in a ceremonial puck drop and be the subject of recognition prior...
Obstacles for Penguins continue as opponents remain challenging out west
The Penguins managed to get four of a possible six points during their tough three-game homestand that featured games against the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, and the currently playoff bound Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Pens beat Vegas 5-2 and the Hurricanes 4-2, after losing...
What prompted the Penguins to swap Radim Zohorna for Valtteri Puustinen in the lineup?
Mike Sullivan was beaming Friday. Sure, the Pittsburgh Penguins coach was happy his team defeated the Vegas Golden Knights at home, 5-2, that evening. But what really invigorated Sullivan was the NHL debut of rookie forward Valtteri Puustinen. Primarily deployed on the third line, the diminutive Puustinen (5-foot-9, 183 pounds)...
Penguins forward Drew O’Connor’s future remains brightVideo
It was a productive weekend for Drew O’Connor. In two games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Pittsburgh Penguins power forward prospect collected a goal and two assists. He also earned a little bit of job security. On Saturday, shortly before he recorded a primary assist in a 6-2 home win against the...
Mark Madden: From Friedman to Kapanen, lots to discuss about Penguins’ recent lineup changes
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-2 home victory over powerful Carolina on Sunday featured several lineup changes that beg further discussion. Winger Kasperi Kapanen was a healthy scratch in Friday’s 5-2 win over Vegas, also at PPG Paints Arena. Kapanen nonetheless went right back in the lineup Sunday. Gee, I hope Kapanen...
Tim Benz: Penguins-Hurricanes regular season battles did little to reveal clues for a potential playoff showdown
Often after Penguins games, head coach Mike Sullivan seems to draw a pretty thick line between the process and the result. The Penguins may win a game but not necessarily play well en route to victory. Under those circumstances, Sullivan has a hard time hiding his agitation. After other games,...
