Penguins/NHL category, Page 170
Penguins forward Brian Boyle out against Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brian Boyle will miss Friday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres due to an undisclosed injury. Coach Mike Sullivan labeled his status as “day to day.” Boyle did not participate in an optional morning skate on Friday, a day after he was absent from practice in Cranberry....
Robert Morris plans to reinstate men’s, women’s hockey teams for 2023-24 season
“Hockey is the Goal” has been the rallying cry for fundraising efforts to reinstate the Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey teams. On Friday afternoon, men’s coach Derek Schooley gave the slogan a new twist. “Hockey is the goal. And the goal was just scored.” Seven months after the Colonials...
Mark Madden: Penguins should extend Kris Letang’s contract now
The Penguins’ management team of GM Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke has difficult work ahead between now and next season. How good do the Penguins have to be to not trade defenseman Kris Letang and/or center Evgeni Malkin before the March 21 trade deadline? Both are...
Confidence, opportunity leading to success for Penguins’ Evan Rodrigues
For Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues, explaining his success this season is a series of progressions. “Opportunity and confidence,” Rodrigues said Tuesday when asked about why he’s been so productive this season. “I got off to a pretty good start early in the year. I got a lot of opportunities to...
First Call: Mike Vrabel shares fond memories of Steelers days; Chiefs offense flashes; RMU hockey’s decision day is here
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel shares his fond memories of being a Steeler in advance of his team’s game at Heinz Field Sunday afternoon. The Steelers game next week against the Kansas City Chiefs looks like it will be a monumental task. The Penguins are catching the Buffalo Sabres as...
Penguins forward Teddy Blueger sees improvement in faceoffsVideo
It was a fairly one-sided game. And it was against a clearly inferior opponent. But for a brief moment or two, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ fate in their 5-2 home win against the beleaguered Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday seemed to be in question. After giving up a score off a poor...
Penguins anticipate NHL will issue stricter covid-19 protocols
The NHL has forged through a difficult week in which dozens of players, coaches and team staffers from Florida to British Columbia have been placed into the league’s protocols for covid-19. With the exception of skating and skill development coach Ty Hennes being placed in protocol recently, the Penguins have...
Penguins forward Brian Boyle withheld from practice
Penguins forward Brian Boyle was absent from practice in Cranberry on Thursday. Coach Mike Sullivan indicated Boyle is dealing with an undisclosed injury and was withheld for precautionary reasons. “I’d like to say he’s a maintenance day right now but that status may change moving forward,” Sullivan said. “It could...
First Call: Bud Dupree may return in time for game against Steelers; Aaron Rodgers, LeBron James wear Pittsburgh attire
Thursday’s “First Call” has an update on the health of former Steeler-turned-Tennessee Titan Bud Dupree. LeBron James and Aaron Rodgers both grab our attention with Pittsburgh-themed clothing choices. And a strange “man-bites-dog” kind of story from the NFL involving a former Steeler. Will Bud be back? The Steelers are hosting...
Minor league report: Nailers rout AdmiralsVideo
A hat trick and three assists by forward Sam Houde helped the Wheeling Nailers claim a 7-2 road win against the Norfolk Admirals at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va. on Wednesday. Forward Matt Alfaro had two goals and two assists for Wheeling (12-8-1-0) while defenseman Chris Ortiz added two...
Penguins happy with fourth line’s contributionsVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ final goal in Tuesday’s 5-2 home win against the Montreal Canadiens was generated by their fourth line, currently composed of Brian Boyle, Drew O’Connor and Dominik Simon. At 9 minutes, 38 seconds of the third period, Simon hounded Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot into a turnover on the...
After sluggish start, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby is in ‘a way different place’Video
It might have been the best indicator as to how late of a start Sidney Crosby has had to the 2021-22 campaign. Not so much as it pertains to when he first started games this season. But when he started to make a true impact on the ice. During the...
Mark Madden: Amid covid chaos, NHL should keep players away from Beijing Winter Olympics
The NHL is embroiled in covid chaos. Calgary and Carolina experienced recent postponements because of team outbreaks. Covid has caused 10 NHL games to be pushed back this season. More will follow. Covid isn’t going away. The NHL may shuffle its protocol. Some want a pause in play, but that’s...
Minor league report: Penguins fall to BearsVideo
Defenseman P.O Joseph scored the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lone goal in a 4-1 home loss to the rival Hershey Bears at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. Goaltender Matt Jurusik made 22 saves on 26 shots for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (9-9-1-2). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is a road contest against the...
Penguins beat Canadiens, extend winning streak to 5
Entering Tuesday, the Penguins were one of the better defensive teams in the NHL by most basic defensive statistics. They were third in the league with a goals-against average of 2.44 and ninth in terms of average shots allowed at 30.4 per contest. Coach Mike Sullivan is hesitant to share...
Sullivan says Penguins received covid-19 booster in October
Members of the Penguins received a booster shot for covid-19 on Oct. 30, coach Mike Sullivan said. No specifics were offered, but Sullivan indicated “all” members of the team were given the booster. According to Sullivan, the booster was distributed following a 4-2 home loss the New Jersey Devils. The...
Penguins expected to start goaltender Tristan Jarry against Canadiens
The Penguins are slated to start goaltender Tristan Jarry in Tuesday’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena. In 21 games this season, Jarry has a 12-5-4 record, a 1.92 goals against average, a .934 save percentage and three shutouts. Jarry’s most recent game was a 4-2...
Tim Benz: Penguins need to accept holiday gifts from NHL schedule maker
As Christmas approaches, the NHL schedule makers have already sent the Penguins a few early presents. Let’s hope the Penguins graciously accept them. The next five games for the Penguins, between Tuesday and Christmas, are all extremely winnable contests. • A Tuesday, Dec. 14 home game against the Montreal Canadiens....
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continues to progress in recovery
Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust all took to the ice Monday at the team’s facility in Cranberry. Malkin, still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee, was the only of the three who participated in the formal portion of practice. Wearing a white...
Penguins forward Danton Heinen chases a new high scoreVideo
Danton Heinen didn’t have much stability this past summer. He was a restricted free agent, and the Anaheim Ducks opted not to extend a contract offer to the versatile forward, allowing him to walk away as an unrestricted free agent. The Pittsburgh Penguins, with limited salary cap space, signed him...
Minor league report: Penguins shut out ThunderbirdsVideo
Goaltender Matt Jurusik made 28 saves and led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 6-0 home win against the Springfield Thunderbirds at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Signed to a professional tryout contract (PTO) on Friday, the 24-year-old Jurusik recorded a shutout in his American Hockey League (AHL) debut....
Ex-Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford ready for new challenge in Vancouver
By the time Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko denied Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on a backhander to secure the Canucks a 4-3 home shootout win at Rogers Arena on Friday night, it was well into Saturday morning on the East Coast. To be precise, it was 12:52 a.m. in...
Mark Madden: The Penguins are playing their way toward sleeper contender status
The Pittsburgh Penguins might yet morph into a sleeper contender. “Might yet” means “not yet.” But there are positive signs. Much depends on the condition and performance of Evgeni Malkin when he returns from knee surgery. (Don’t expect vintage Malkin right away.) The locker room likely sees itself as more...
Minor league report: Penguins return to play, fall in overtimeVideo
Forward Felix Robert had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who lost in overtime to the rival Hershey Bears, 3-2, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. It was the Penguins’ first game since Nov. 27. Due to several players and staffers testing positive for covid-19...
Casey DeSmith continues December to remember as Penguins blank Ducks
The latter half of Casey DeSmith’s 2021 has not gone well. After all, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ backup goaltender suffered a groin injury in May that ended his 2020-21 season, then underwent surgery in June to correct the problem. Additionally, he didn’t win a game for the first two months of...
