Penguins/NHL category, Page 90
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin wants to be more than ‘normal player’
The debates are never-ending in just about every sport, especially with hockey. And with any kind of qualifier. Who’s the best player ever? Who’s the best defenseman? Goaltender? Finnish goal-scoring winger? Left-handed Latvian faceoff specialist? Newfoundland and Labrador-born shot-blocker? One of those discussions got a pretty definitive offering Friday. Who’s...
Forwards Bryan Rust, Jesse Puljujarvi rejoin Penguins practice
Bryan Rust looked different Friday. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward was wearing a neck guard. In the aftermath of former Penguins forward Adam Johnson’s death as a result of a skate cut to his neck while playing in the United Kingdom on Oct. 28, there were countless calls for players at...
Penguins forward Rickard Rakell beginning to find goals in different waysVideo
Christmas came early for Rickard Rakell. By about two days. In a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins forward scored his first goal of the season. It was a nice gift for the holidays, though he probably would have preferred to have registered...
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang’s record-setting game was ‘pretty cool’
Alex Letang didn’t necessarily get to see his father, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, make history on Wednesday night. But he certainly had quite a reaction Thursday morning. “He goes to bed before the end of the game,” Kris Letang said of his adolescent son. “The first thing he did,...
Tim Benz: Tristan Jarry’s ‘key saves at key times’ turned a potential shootout into a Penguins rout
It’s not often a goaltender’s shutout gets lost in the mix during a hockey game. But given how the Penguins’ 7-0 romp over the New York Islanders took place Wednesday, you can see how Tristan Jarry’s name may have been buried a bit in the headlines. • The Penguins managed...
First Call: James Harrison, Hines Ward snubbed for Hall of Fame again; did Mason Rudolph jab Big Ben?
Thursday’s “First Call” has some unfortunate news for Steelers Super Bowl heroes James Harrison and Hines Ward. There are some key injury updates for the Seahawks as they prepare to play the Steelers on Sunday. Ex-Steeler Devin Bush could start against his old club. Mason Rudolph appears to take a...
Minor league report: Penguins dropped by BearsVideo
Goaltender Magnus Hellberg made 33 saves on 36 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 Wednesday. The result dropped Hellberg’s record to 5-5-0 while forward Austin Rueschhoff scored the lone goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (15-11-3-0). Highlights:...
Defenseman Kris Letang has historic night as Penguins rout Islanders
The Pittsburgh Penguins emerged from the NHL’s three-day break for the holidays with a rollicking 7-0 triumph against the normally defensively stout New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Wednesday. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang spearheaded the onslaught with six assists and became the first defenseman in the history of the...
Mark Madden: To make playoffs, Penguins need different kind of impact from Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson’s brief tenure with the Penguins has been odd. The reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman has not made enough positive impact in the areas it was logically assumed. Karlsson’s statistics are fine: 22 points, plus-9 in 32 games. His advanced stats are good, too. Karlsson...
Penguins need to quickly find traction coming out of Christmas break
When the Pittsburgh Penguins hit Thanksgiving, they were 9-9-0, and no one was feeling great about it. Now, coming out of Christmas, the Pens have won 15 games and lost 17 (15-13-4). The sentiment about the team is pretty much the same. The club’s 34 points are the second-lowest total...
Penguins forward Noel Acciari makes measurable impact on penalty kill
The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost 87 man games to injury this season. And it’s possible the cluster of games lost that have impacted them the most are the seven contests fourth-line center Noel Acciari missed earlier this month. If nothing else, his absence can be tabulated in a fashion that...
Penguins rookie forward Valtteri Puustinen looks good to anyone watching
Valtteri Puustinen’s family isn’t getting much sleep these days. At least not overnight. With a seven-hour difference between Pittsburgh and his hometown of Kuopio, Finland, Puustinen’s loved ones have to wake up in the middle of the night to see him play on television (or streamed video). “My whole family...
Penguins squander power-play chances in overtime loss to Ottawa
The hot takes have been present in Pittsburgh for weeks and months. Years, really. Who should be entrusted as the starter at the team’s most important and scrutinized position? On Saturday, one of those debates was thrust into a maelstrom because of a startlingly strong performance by a person left...
Penguins prospects Emil Pieniniemi, Kalle Kangas selected by Finland for IIHF World Junior Championship
Penguins defensive prospects Emil Pieniniemi and Kalle Kangas were named to Finland’s team for the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship tournament. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association officially announced the roster on Friday. Pieniniemi (third round, No. 91 overall) and Kanges (seventh round, No. 223 overall) were...
Minor league report: Penguins’ winning streak snappedVideo
Goaltender Magnus Hellberg made 33 saves on 38 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-2 road loss to the Laval Rocket at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec on Friday. The result dropped Hellberg’s record to 5-4-0 while forward Alex Nylander and Dmitri Samorukov each scored goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (15-10-3-0),...
Shootouts are rarer for the Penguins and the NHLVideo
In 16 games this season, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jansen Harkins has zero points. But he has a place in franchise history that likely never will be surpassed. During a 4-3 road win against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 13, Harkins scored the winning goal in a 12-round shootout, the longest...
Former Penguins assistant Jacques Martin back with Senators as interim head coach
A familiar face to the Pittsburgh Penguins will be behind the home bench Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Jacques Martin. An assistant coach with the Penguins who helped the franchise win Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, Martin is the interim head coach of the Ottawa Senators,...
Minor league report: Sam Poulin scores 2 power-play goals as Penguins winVideo
Two power-play goals by forward Sam Poulin helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeat the Belleville Senators, 5-1, at CAA Arena in Belleville, Ont. on Thursday. Forwards Rem Pitlick and Colin White each had a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (15-9-3-0) while forward Alex Nylander and defenseman Ty Smith both contributed...
Penguins turn to Alex Nedeljkovic again and finally beat Hurricanes
The Pittsburgh Penguins needed their best Thursday against one of their nemeses in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes. And with regard to their own crease, backup Alex Nedeljkovic was deemed a better option than starter Tristan Jarry. That proved to be a sound decision as Nedeljkovic, starting for the...
Former Penguins forward Jordan Staal remains stout defensively with the Hurricanes
Jordan Staal saw some familiar faces Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Any time the former teammates square off in a game, Staal, captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, typically is deployed against one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ franchise centers. “They’re both great competitors,” Staal said after...
Penguins tab Alex Nedeljkovic as starting goaltender for 3rd time in 4 games
The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in Thursday’s home game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status following an optional morning skate. Nedeljkovic has appeared in each of the past three games, starting two of those contests. He replaced...
For the Penguins, struggles with the Hurricanes are nothing new
Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic enjoyed his time as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. Especially because his best season as an NHLer came during his employment in the Piedmont. As a rookie in 2020-21, Nedeljkovic was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team after posting a 15-5-3 record in...
Penguins assign Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defenseman Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Tuesday. In 13 NHL games this season, Hinostroza has scored three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 9:53 of ice time per contest. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hinostroza has appeared in...
For Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, ‘a new season has started’
Rickard Rakell isn’t terribly interested in discussing the first two months of his season. And why would he? In his first 17 games, he had no goals. And in the next 12 games? Zero. Then again, he was injured for those dozen contests, nursing a suspected right shoulder injury. Healthy...
Marc-Andre Fleury appreciative of love from Penguins fans even while sitting out Monday’s game
Don’t take this the wrong way, Pittsburgh Penguins fans. But Marc-Andre Fleury was trying to avoid hearing you chant for him to get into the game Monday night at PPG Paints Arena. “I didn’t want to hear it,” Fleury said after his Minnesota Wild lost to the Penguins 4-3. “Because...
