Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 115
Penguins prospects Joel Blomqvist, Calle Clang selected for IIHF World Junior Championship
Penguins goaltending prospects Joel Blomqvist and Calle Clang have been selected for the rosters of Finland and Sweden, respectively, in the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship tournament. This is the second consecutive year they have been chosen for the tournament. Neither player appeared in a game during last season’s tournament....
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith gets his ‘confidence going in the right direction’Video
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan had a curious way of describing Casey DeSmith’s play in late November. After a 6-3 home loss to the woeful Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 27, Sullivan complimented the backup goaltender. Kind of. “I thought he was solid,” Sullivan said. “The goals that they got were good...
Jeff Carter, Jake Guentzel lead Penguins to rout of Kraken
Like all of his current teammates, Brandon Tanev came from somewhere else. Such is life for every member of the Seattle Kraken. In their first season of existence, the Kraken are a menagerie of castoffs from the other 31 incumbent franchises. For Tanev, a popular forechecking forward, he was jettisoned...
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has another game postponed due to covid-19 protocols
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had another game postponed for what have been labeled as “covid-19 protocols.” A home contest against the Hershey Bears scheduled for Wednesday has been rescheduled for Dec. 14. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had two games this past weekend postponed for the same reason. One of those games, a home contest...
Ex-Penguins forward Jared McCann thriving with the KrakenVideo
The Seattle Kraken don’t really have any traditions. Really, how could they? They’re a first-year expansion franchise that has been playing games of consequence for less than two months. There is at least one exception, however. How they conclude practices. “Usually the next team up, the guy in the middle...
Minor league report: Nailers beat Fuel in overtimeVideo
Defenseman Chris Ortiz scored two goals, including one in overtime, for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3-2 home win against the Indy Fuel at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Sunday. Forward Nick Hutchison recorded three assists for Wheeling (9-6-1) which has recorded points in six consecutive games. Goaltender Stefanos...
For Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, ‘the bounces are going my way’Video
Sidney Crosby has his lethal backhander. Evgeni Malkin owns a trident missile of a one-timer from the right circle. Jaromir Jagr, now a spry 49 years old, probably could still score 20 goals with his signature wrister. And Mario Lemieux? He was capable of finding offense by using just about...
Jake Guentzel’s hat trick leads Penguins past Canucks
Entering Saturday, the Penguins, in the midst of a three-game losing streak, were struggling to find consistent scoring. So, they shook up their lines a bit. Namely, their bottom three lines all underwent alterations. Danton Heinen was promoted to the second line. Kasperi Kapanen was demoted to the third line....
Minor league report: Nailers’ 4-game winning streak snapped
Defenseman Josh Mansicalco, a Penguins prospect, and Cam Hausinger each had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-3 overtime road loss to the Toledo Walleye at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio on Saturday. Forward Nick Hutchison recorded two assists for Wheeling (9-6-1-0) which had...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry returns to Vancouver with newfound successVideo
Growing up in Surrey, British Columbia, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was a fan of the Vancouver Canucks in his formative years. During the “West Coast Express” era for the Canucks from the early- to mid-2000s, Jarry had two players who stood out to him. One was forward Markus Naslund, a...
Minor league report: Nailers edge Cyclones for 4th consecutive winVideo
Goaltender Stefanos Lekkas made 27 saves on 29 shots for the Wheeling Nailers, who extended a winning streak to four games with a 3-2 home victory against the Cincinnati Cyclones at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Friday. Forward Jared Cockrell recorded two assists for Wheeling (8-6-0-0) while forwards Cam...
Penguins forward Drew O’Connor looking for way back into lineup
Having been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Drew O’Connor has been a healthy scratch the past two games despite veteran forwards Brian Boyle and Bryan Rust each being sidelined with undisclosed injuries. Regardless, he is happy to be back on the NHL...
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ games postponed due to covid-19 protocols
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ games this weekend have been postponed for what the team has deemed “covid-19 protocols.” No specifics were offered. A team spokesperson declined to comment when reached via e-mail. Previously, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a road game against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday and a home contest against the Charlotte...
Penguins wouldn’t mind a return of 2-game ‘series’ in regular season
Brian Boyle had a funny way of describing the Penguins’ flight to Calgary on Sunday to kick off the team’s four-game swing through Western North America this week. “It’s nice to get together, hop on the ‘bird’ and check in and go for dinners if you can,” the veteran Penguins...
Connor McDavid’s 4-point night leads Oilers past Penguins
With a meeting of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid providing combined star power worthy of Galileo’s gaze, Wednesday’s matchup of the Penguins and Edmonton Oilers was broadcast to a national audience on TNT. Or, at least as large of a national audience that a contest beginning at 10:17 p.m. on...
NHL stars Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid laud one another
Wednesday’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers in the Rogers Centre in Edmonton was the eighth meeting between forwards Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, arguably, the greatest players of the 21st century. The self-effacing Crosby rarely likes to discuss his place in the hierarchy of the sport,...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin rejoins teammates on ice
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin participated in his team’s morning skate at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta on Monday. This marked the first time Malkin has joined his teammates in such a setting since he underwent surgery on his injured right knee this past summer. Coach Mike Sullivan stressed Malkin...
Mario Lemieux to oversee hockey operations as Fenway Sports Group deal with Penguins almost done
For Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are much more than the people who have owned his employer. They’re “Mario and Ron.” He has a personal relationship with each of them. And he’s happy for them. That’s because they’re still going to be involved with the...
Penguins Prospect Watch: P.O Joseph scores his 1st goal of the seasonVideo
An occasional look at how the Penguins’ prospects have performed over the previous seven days: • In the American Hockey League (AHL), forward Filip Hallander had an overtime goal for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-2 road win against the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday. A second-round pick (No. 58 overall)...
Penguins fall to Flames in shootout despite goaltender Tristan Jarry’s strong play
Tristan Jarry has been good this season. That notion was validated Monday afternoon when the NHL named the Penguins goaltender the league’s second star of the week due to his strong play over the previous seven days. Entering the day, he was tied for second in the NHL with three...
Report: Fenway Sports Group signs purchase agreement for Penguins
Fenway Sports Group has signed a purchase agreement to assume a controlling stake in the Penguins, according to Sportico, an outlet that covers sports business. This is the latest step in a multi-faceted transaction. Current co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are expected to remain a part of the franchise...
Grading the Penguins after a quarter of the season
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has a phrase he’s fond of when discussing the composition of his team. “It’s hard to win (the) Stanley Cup with just 12 forwards and six defensemen and two goalies. It takes a whole lot more than that.” So far this season through 21 games, in...
Penguins place forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve, recall forward Drew O’Connor
The Penguins have placed forward Bryan Rust on injured reserve retroactive to Friday. Rust suffered an undisclosed injury during warmups on Friday prior to a 1-0 road win against the New York Islanders and has missed the past two games. This is Rust’s second stint on injured reserve this season....
Minor league report: Penguins routed by BruinsVideo
Goaltender Louis Domingue made 22 saves on 26 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-1 home loss to the Providence Bruins at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Forward Radim Zohorna scored the lone goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-8-0-2). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is a road contest against...
Penguins lose to lowly Canadiens; Sidney Crosby gets first multi-point game of the season
There are plenty of reasons Sidney Crosby one day will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The start of his 2021-22 season will not be one of them. Because of a combination of offseason wrist surgery that sidelined him to open the season and a bout with covid-19...
