Pittsburgh Penguins / NHL category, Page 83
Tim Benz: Ending of Penguins’ point streak illustrates different standards for team’s goalies
Throughout the Pittsburgh Penguins’ recently concluded 10-game point streak with backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in net, there was a different standard of evaluation for him as opposed to the franchise’s perceived No. 1 netminder, Tristan Jarry. Nedeljkovic backstopped the Pens to a 7-0-3 record in that span, largely by following...
Madden Monday: Loss to Boston was ‘chickens coming home to roost’ for Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent charge back into playoff contention was fun and unexpected. But the reality check provided by their first loss without a point in three weeks has certainly exposed how wobbly that status truly was. By going 7-0-3 in their previous 10 games, the Penguins woke up Saturday...
Minor league report: Penguins’ winning streak snapped; Nailers’ playoff schedule setVideo
Goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 21 saves on 24 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-1 road loss to the rival Hershey Bears at the Giant Center in Hershey on Sunday. The result dropped Blomqvist’s record to 25-11-6 as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (38-23-8-1) had a seven-game winning streak snapped. Forward Vinnie Hinostroza...
Alex Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry shaky vs. Boston, leaving Penguins with tough goalie choiceVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was a major architect of his club managing to go 7-0-3 over his last 10 starts, during which time qualifying for the postseason went from pipe dream to probable. He was far from perfect but largely did enough to give the Penguins a chance to...
Penguins playoff hopes take hit in home loss to Bruins
Despite so many flaws – a squalid power play, haphazard puck management and general ineptitude beyond the bounds of regulation, etc. — the Pittsburgh Penguins surged up the standings for the better part of three weeks and got back into relevancy in regard to postseason contention. Their resolve was a...
Minor league report: Penguins get 7th consecutive win; Nailers clinch playoff berthVideo
A goal and an assist by forward Jansen Harkins led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 4-1 win against the rival Hershey Bears in their regular season home finale at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Forwards Corey Andonovski, Avery Hayes and Sam Poulin all scored a goal apiece for...
Penguins reassign forward Vinnie Hinostroza to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned forward Vinnie Hinostroza to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League Saturday evening shortly before puck drop at PPG Paints Arena vs. the Boston Bruins. Hinostroza, 30, was called up from the AHL on April 11 (the eighth time he’d been added to the NHL roster this...
Penguins trying to qualify for playoffs in final days of season
As of Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins had yet to secure a playoff berth as they enter the final days of the regular season. “I feel like for the last two or three weeks here, we’ve been right in it,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said Wednesday in Cranberry. “It’s brought out...
Former Penguins forward Danton Heinen finds a role on the Bruins’ top lineVideo
It was exactly one year ago that Danton Heinen’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins essentially came to an end. But he wasn’t the only one. Having already been eliminated from postseason contention, the Penguins limped through a 3-2 overtime road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the regular-season finale...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: After seeing Penguins consider relocation, feeling deeply for Coyotes fans
With the Arizona Coyotes likely headed to Salt Lake City, it’s easy to dismiss hockey in Phoenix as a failed experiment. The Coyotes currently play in a college rink that seats just 4,600. Ownership can’t get a new arena built. The Coyotes rarely have drawn big in Phoenix, not even...
Alex Nedeljkovic slated to make 11th straight start
With yet another critically important contest at hand, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan will once again turn to Alex Nedeljkovic to start in net, as the Boston Bruins visit PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night. Sullivan revealed Nedeljkovic would make his 11th consecutive start following the Penguins’ morning skate. The...
Jack St. Ivany, Ryan Shea earning coaches’ trust as Penguins’ 3rd defensive pairing
The play of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third defensive pairing probably wouldn’t immediately come to mind for many when reflecting on how and why the club has managed to come back from the dead and seize control of a wild-card spot with only a few days left in the regular season....
Minor league report: Penguins’ winning streak reaches 6Video
Two goals by forward Avery Hayes led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 5-2 home win against the Bridgeport Islanders at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Forward Jagger Joshua recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-22-8-1) which has won a season-best six consecutive games while forwards Beau Jelsma, Sam Poulin...
Wheeling Nailers’ games altered by flooding
The Wheeling Nailers, ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have had their final two games of the regular season altered by flooding in Wheeling, W.Va. Friday’s home contest against the Toledo Walleye which was scheduled at WesBanco Arena has been postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, a game on Saturday against the Cincinnati...
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson still playing captivating hockey at 1,000 games
During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ untamed 6-5 overtime home win against the Detroit Red Wings, defenseman Erik Karlsson was on the ice for a lot of goals. By both teams. To be specific, the Penguins scored two go-ahead goals during regulation with Karlsson directly involved. And the Red Wings scored their...
Penguins’ Tristan Jarry earns high marks for embracing backup role
The blunt synopsis of Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry’s situation over the last several weeks is that he’s been demoted in favor of Alex Nedeljkovic, who’s now started 10 consecutive games dating back to March 24. Nedeljkovic has led the Penguins to a 7-0-3 record and crucial points over that...
Mark Madden: The Penguins control their own destiny, but are they playing playoff hockey?
Whatever good happens to the Pittsburgh Penguins at season’s end, nobody but Sidney Crosby truly will deserve. Very rarely can a win be an utter travesty, but Thursday’s debacle of a 6-5 overtime victory over Detroit at PPG Paints Arena fits that description. That said, the Penguins winning in three-on-three...
Penguins in playoff position with 3 games left, with Capitals, Red Wings, Flyers close behind
Less than a week remains in the NHL’s regular season, and the chase for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference remain up for grabs. By gaining two points in an overtime win over Detroit on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins moved into the second wild-card spot. The Penguins...
Tim Benz: Penguins keep replaying the same game, and I keep replaying ‘Dumb and Dumber’
For a while on Thursday night, it looked like all the Penguins’ old bugaboos would bite them again, ruining a solid effort in a vital game against the Detroit Red Wings. • Giving away momentum as soon as they establish it: Twice in the first period, the Red Wings scored...
Reilly Smith, promoted to 1st line mid-game vs. Detroit, notches career assist No. 300 in winVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Reilly Smith didn’t brag when discussing his mid-game promotion Thursday night to the club’s top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. And he certainly had some grounds to, having contributed a pair of assists — the second of which was his 300th NHL apple — in...
Erik Karlsson’s OT winner gives Penguins critical victory over Red Wings
It was far from perfect. Any time a team yields a two-goal lead in the third period, perfect isn’t even on the radar. But it was a win. Perhaps the most resounding triumph of 2023-24 for the Penguins. If nothing else, it provided the most cause – or causes –...
Sidney Crosby named Penguins team MVP for 12th time, tying Mario Lemieux
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was named team MVP as voted by his teammates, the club announced Thursday evening ahead of a crucial matchup with the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby, 36, captures team MVP honors for the 12th time in his career, tying fellow franchise icon...
Penguins place defenseman Ryan Graves on long-term injured reserve
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Ryan Graves on long-term injured reserve because of a concussion. With that designation, Graves will miss the remainder of the regular season but will be eligible to rejoin the team for the postseason, assuming it qualifies for playoff competition. Players placed on long-term...
Ex-Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese returns with the Red Wings
Zach Aston-Reese has been on this stage before. A big game at PPG Paints Arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Be it during the second round of the 2018 playoffs against the Washington Capitals or the first round in 2021 versus the New York Islanders, Aston-Reese has participated in his fair...
Tim Benz: Penguins get 1st big chance to advance renewed optimism for Pittsburgh’s sports teams
As recently as March 7, the Pittsburgh sports landscape was looking pretty bleak. The Penguins became sellers at the trade deadline, shipping former All-Star Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. Steelers coaches and management were giving skeptical fans and media members a hard sell about why they were still optimistic...
