Pittsburgh Penguins / NHL category, Page 321
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan backs slumping winger Dominik Simon
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Pittsburgh Penguins winger Dominik Simon has slipped into a slump since the all-star break, recording no goals, three assists and a minus-3 rating in his past 12 games. He has not lost the faith of his coach. Before the Penguins faced the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night,...
Injured Penguins defensemen Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin not on weekend trip
BUFFALO, N.Y. – As of Monday afternoon’s NHL trade deadline, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was holding out hope that his team could see at least one injured defenseman back in the lineup by this weekend. That won’t happen. Neither Kris Letang nor Brian Dumoulin made the trip as...
Podcast: Previewing critical matchup for Penguins vs. sliding Sabres
The Penguins are in Buffalo on Friday night to play the Sabres. It’s an important game in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres made a push in the wild-card chase, but they’ve bottomed out lately, losing seven of nine. Meanwhile, the Penguins are trying to secure the final playoff spot in...
5 things we’ve learned about the Penguins since the NHL trade deadline
If trade-deadline acquisition Erik Gudbranson is going to make a positive contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ injury-depleted blue line, he’ll have to improve on his performance in Vancouver, where he had a league-worst minus-27 rating. While it might be a risky strategy that is bound to backfire at some point,...
U mad, bro? Steelers angst, Penguins concern, Oscars disagreement
It’s the Feb. 28 edition of “U Mad, Bro?” It features Steelers angst, Penguins concern and disagreement over the Oscars from readers. ••• Somebody calling themselves “Steeler Nation” says the Steelers are not rebuilding, despite my recent column to the contrary. No, I dont think you're rebuilding when you have...
Tim Benz: Replacing Bryan Rust a challenge for Penguins
Before we start talking about how to best replace Penguins forward Bryan Rust while he is injured, it’s best to establish what has been lost. “Rusty brings a lot,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a good penalty killer. He brings so much speed and puck pursuit to the lines...
Kevin Gorman: Erik Gudbranson the guy Penguins want in their cornerVideo
Erik Gudbranson was stranded Tuesday in Toronto’s airport for nearly five hours, plenty of time to contemplate the 11th-hour trade that sent him from the Vancouver Canucks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While following the box score of their game at the Columbus Blue Jackets on his phone, Gudbranson saw that...
Penguins recall forward Teddy Blueger from Wilkes-Barre
Teddy Blueger’s most recent stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lasted just two days. After being sent down Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Jim Rutherford recalled the rookie forward on an emergency basis Wednesday. Blueger, 24, has three goals and an assist in nine games with the Penguins. The 6-foot, 195-pound...
Skating with Little Penguins after practice brings out the little kid in Sidney CrosbyVideo
The Little Penguins brought out the little kid in Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar skated with 100 youth players from the “Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey” program Wednesday afternoon after practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. “You remember being that age and getting out on the...
Shock turns to excitement for Erik Gudbranson after trade to Penguins
Erik Gudbranson had just walked in the door to congratulations from his girlfriend for surviving another NHL trade deadline without being dealt. Then his phone buzzed. Gudbranson was surprised to learn the Pittsburgh Penguins made an 11th-hour move Monday, sending Tanner Pearson to Vancouver in exchange for the 6-foot-5, 217-pound...
Penguins’ Bryan Rust, Chad Ruhwedel out with ‘longer-term’ injuriesVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that winger Bryan Rust (lower body) and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (upper body), who were hurt Tuesday at Columbus, are both out with “longer-term” injuries. “He’s a good player for us,” Sullivan said. “Rusty brings a lot. He’s a good penalty-killer. He brings so...
Tim Benz: Penguins start make-or-break stretch on right foot
The NHL trade deadline is always an identifiable line in any hockey team’s season. The way the last few weeks have gone, Penguins fans should see the first nine games out of the gate following the deadline as a make-or-break stretch in the season. Between Tuesday night and March 14,...
Penguins defensemen Jack Johnson, Justin Schultz come through in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Pittsburgh Penguins scored a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night thanks, in part, to a strong effort from the de facto top defense pair of Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz. If you closed one eye and squinted with the other, they looked...
Tim Benz, Jonathan Bombulie discuss Penguins injuries, critical schedule
Even though the NHL trade deadline has come and gone, questions abound for the Pittsburgh Penguins. • Can they wiggle into the playoffs? • How many points can they get during this critical nine-game stretch against fellow Eastern Conference playoff contenders? • How will Mike Sullivan and Jim Rutherford try...
Jared McCann scores twice; Penguins earn confidence-boosting win in ColumbusVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets, by most accounts, won the NHL trade deadline with a flurry of high-profile acquisitions. All the Pittsburgh Penguins did was plug a hole or two caused by injuries on the blue line. Consequently, and for good reason, pundits are talking with great excitement...
Penguins’ defenseman Zach Trotman gets chance to show he fits in
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Every time the Pittsburgh Penguins have suffered an injury on defense this season, general manager Jim Rutherford has said he’s pleased with his organization’s depth at the position. And every time he’s talked about that depth, he’s mentioned Zach Trotman. On Tuesday night, Trotman will get a...
New Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson gets ex-teammate’s stamp of approval
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Since they were teammates with the Florida Panthers for four seasons, Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bjugstad is well qualified to give a scouting report on newly acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson. He did that after morning skate as the Penguins prepared to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford keeps trading away his mistakes
With the Penguins tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday’s game, general manager Jim Rutherford wasn’t able to make any magical trade-deadline deals. Rutherford added much-needed toughness in Erik Gudbranson, but the Penguins dealing for defensemen at the NHL trade deadline was a...
Jack Johnson set for first game in Columbus since signing with Penguins
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Around this time of year, it’s not uncommon for players swapped at the NHL trade deadline to talk about wanting to prove their old teams wrong for letting them go. There’s none of that in Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson. On Tuesday night, Johnson will face his...
Podcast: Why do the Penguins think Erik Gudbranson can help them?
Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins me for our weekly Sided.co hockey podcast. We recap Jim Rutherford’s moves at the trade deadline. Erik Gudbranson largely has flamed out in the NHL at this point. Why do the Penguins think he can help? We dive into why the Penguins...
Tim Benz: Time for Penguins forwards to help defense
On Monday, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford did what he could to help his defensive corps. Now maybe the forwards can help a little, too. With the Olli Maatta injury and Jamie Oleksiak trade, the Penguins defensive group was already stretched thin approaching Monday’s trade deadline. Then Saturday’s injuries to...
Tim Benz: Penguins better heed Jim Rutherford’s wake-up call
In a best-case scenario, the Penguins will make a nice playoff run with newly acquired Erik Gudbranson and Chris Wideman in the press box as scratches. They aren’t all that good. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford gave away two players who aren’t all that good to get them: Tanner Pearson...
Mark Madden: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford’s deadline deals unlikely to matter much
Every time the NHL trade deadline comes around, Penguins fans want the team to trade for Ron Francis again. Like in 1991. That’s speaking metaphorically. But local hockey nostalgia holds that a blockbuster trade is a harbinger for winning a Stanley Cup, especially since it happened again the next year,...
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford hangs onto first-round draft pick at trade deadline
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has a win-now mandate with his star players creeping into their 30s, but even that has its limits. In the build-up to Monday’s NHL trade deadline, Rutherford said he was trying as hard as he could to hold onto his first-round pick in June’s...
Penguins add Chris Wideman from Florida to beef up depth on blue line
While the acquisition of 6-foot-5 Erik Gudbranson at Monday’s NHL trade deadline was about adding size and strength to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ blue line, a trade for Chris Wideman was meant to provide depth. The Penguins acquired Wideman from the Florida Panthers in exchange for center Jean-Sebastien Dea. Wideman, 29,...
