Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 131
Minor league report: Kasper Bjorkqvist leads Penguins to overtime winVideo
An overtime goal by forward Kasper Bjorkqvist gave the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 2-1 road win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown on Saturday. Goaltender Alex D’Orio made 23 saves on 24 shots in the victory for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (13-12-4-2) while forward Jonathan Gruden also scored...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin’s status remains uncertain; Casey DeSmith day-to-day
Penguins’ forward Evgeni Malkin’s status is uncertain, publicly at least, for his team’s opening playoff game Sunday against the New York Islanders. While Malkin was on the ice for practice Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, he did not participate in line rushes or during power-play drills. When asked about Malkin’s...
What you need to know about the New York IslandersVideo
There isn’t a Mike Bossy, Pat Lafontaine or John Tavares. And, thankfully, Eddie Westfall, John Tonelli and David Volek are long gone. The New York Islanders don’t exactly have a lineup worthy of fear, but don’t you dare disrespect them. “The structure they have is really effective because they all...
Penguins assign goaltender Alex D’Orio to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Penguins have assigned reserve goaltender Alex D’Orio to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). D’Orio, 22, has split time this season between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling of the ECHL. In 10 AHL games, he has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.30 goals against average and a .911 save percentage....
Face mask guidelines to remain in place for Penguins’ postseason games
Masks will remain in place for the Penguins’ postseason games. On Friday, the team issued a statement in reaction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) easing mask guidelines for those who are vaccinated against covid-19 on Thursday. The statement reads: “We are very encouraged by the CDC...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry ‘ready to play,’ but Casey DeSmith’s status is uncertain
There’s good news and bad news with regards to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltenders. First, the good news. Starter Tristan Jarry appears to be a sure bet to be in net for Game 1 of his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday. Jarry...
Penguins GM Ron Hextall: ‘This group has been very resilient’
Ron Hextall is in a different place. The playoffs. To be clear, he’s been to the playoffs a lot, as an all-star goaltender and an executive. But he hasn’t participated in postseason games in any capacity since he was the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers and saw them get...
Penguins to open playoffs Sunday against Islanders
The Penguins will open the 2021 postseason Sunday when they host the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena in Game 1 of their first round series. On Thursday, the NHL released a partial schedule for the entire first round. The Penguins-Islanders series: May 16 - Islanders at Penguins, 12...
Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson’s game looks different
Mike Matheson looks different. After all, the Penguins defenseman has a black left eye. That came from a teammate. During a 3-0 road win against the Washington Capitals, Matheson took a puck in the face on an errant clearing attempt by goaltender Tristan Jarry. As a result, Matheson missed the...
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby cherishes ‘every opportunity’ in postseason
Practice was over. And Alex D’Orio was doing his “job.” As a mid-level prospect, D’Orio, an undrafted goaltender, was doing what most rookies are “supposed” to do, clearing the ice of pucks and the nets Wednesday in Cranberry after the Penguins had concluded nearly two hours of practicing and scrimmaging....
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith rejoins practice
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith rejoined his team for practice Wednesday in Cranberry. He had been sidelined since May 3 after he suffered an undisclosed injury during a 7-2 road loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. While DeSmith and forward Evgeni Malkin did participate in practice, neither player took part in a...
Penguins to face Islanders in first round of playoffs
The Penguins will face the New York Islanders in the first round of the postseason. A schedule has yet to be announced. This matchup was set as a result of the Boston Bruins defeating the Islanders, 3-2, in overtime at TD Garden in Boston on Monday. The Penguins, who finished...
Penguins found steady improvement over the regular season
With at least a week between their regular-season finale and the first game of their postseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins will use the luxury of downtime as a tool. They will allow the likes of injured players such as goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Brandon Tanev to nurse any lingering ailments...
Goaltender Casey DeSmith selected as Penguins’ nominee for Masterton Trophy
Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith was named as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by members of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) on Monday. The award recognizes “the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication...
Penguins Prospect Watch: Kasper Bjorkqvist returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
A weekly look at how Penguins prospects and minor leaguers have fared over the past seven days: • In the American Hockey League (AHL) forward Kasper Bjorkqvist rejoined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after being on loan to KooKoo of the Liiga, the top-tier league in his native Finland. Rejoining the Penguins’...
Minor league report: Penguins fall to PhantomsVideo
Goaltender Tommy Nappier made 20 saves on 26 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 6-2 road loss to the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown on Sunday. Forwards Josh Currie and Felix Robert scored goals for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12-12-4-2). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game is a...
‘Stress-free’ Jim Rutherford watches, enjoys Penguins’ success, considers future
Jim Rutherford is mindful of his pronouns. It’s not “we.” It’s “they.” The Pittsburgh Penguins would be “they.” “I’m usually very careful with my words, as you’ve known over the years,” the team’s former general manager said by phone Saturday. “I went to ‘they’ relatively quickly as I left.” Rutherford...
Penguins recall Juuso Riikola, Yannick Weber, Emil Larmi from taxi squad
The Penguins’ taxi squad is no more. With NHL’s rosters expanded for the postseason, the Penguins essentially dissolved their taxi squad. Defensemen Juuso Riikola, Yannick Weber and goaltender Emil Larmi were recalled to the NHL roster while defenseman Josh Maniscalco was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL)....
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 1, Sabres 0Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 1-0 win against the Sabres: First things first, there wasn’t really much of an update on Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin after the game. He did not record a shift for the final 8:48 of regulation. Roughly midway through the third period, he was hit by Sabres...
Minor league report: Penguins beat Devils in home finaleVideo
Two goals by forward Nick Schilkey helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins win their final home game of the season, 4-1, against the Binghamton Devils at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Forward Jonathan Gruden added a goal and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (12-11-4-2) while forward Justin Almeida recorded two assists....
Goaltender Maxime Lagace records shutout in Penguins debut
Maxime Lagace hasn’t had many positive results this season. Or bad ones for that matter. Mainly, he just hasn’t played a great deal this season. And that’s by design. When the Pittsburgh Penguins signed Legace to a one-year, two-way contract in October to be their third goaltender on the organizational...
Penguins shut out Sabres, claim East Division
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann used the “F” word repeatedly Saturday evening in the aftermath of his team’s 1-0 home win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. He uttered it at least three or four times. It was clear he had a message he wanted to convey. “We...
Penguins to start goaltender Maxime Lagace in regular season finale
The Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Maxime Lagace in their regular season finale, a home contest against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday. Lagace’s status was announce via statement. With starter Tristan Jarry and backup Casey DeSmith each sidelined due to undisclosed injuries, Lagace will be...
Minor league report: Nailers beaten by IcemenVideo
Goaltender Shane Starrett made 35 saves on 37 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3-1 road loss to the Jacksonville Icemen at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday. Forward Jared Cockrell scored the only goal for Wheeling (17-29-5-1) which has lost three consecutive games. Highlights: The...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 8, Sabres 4
Observations from the Penguins’ 8-4 win against the Sabres: Four goals in a game isn’t exactly the be-all, end-all achievement for an NHL player. After all, the record is seven, as established in the earliest days of the NHL by Quebec Bulldogs star Joe Malone in a 10-6 home win...
