Penguins/NHL category, Page 163

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play stinks and is unlikely to be fixed. It ranks 22nd in the NHL with a conversion rate of 13.9%. It won’t always rank that low. It will generate hot streaks based solely on the unit’s talent, which is plentiful. But right now is not one...

Just over three weeks into the season, the NHL revised several of its rules pertaining to covid-19 protocols. The league announced the alterations Thursday afternoon, a day after 40 players were identified on the league’s daily listing of absences related to covid-19. In a statement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman indicated...

As the primary return in a September trade that jettisoned a fan favorite — and a two-time Stanley Cup champion — in Patric Hornqvist, Mike Matheson always was going to face an uphill battle to appetize the locals. And considering he played only two underwhelming games out of a possible...

Bruce Arians and Franco Harris comment on the Steelers. A perceived general manager candidate is off the Penguins’ list. And Robert Morris hockey has a rare mid-week doubleheader. All that in Thursday’s “First Call.” Bruce on Brady and Ben Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians provided an interesting quote about...

At 5-4-1, things could be worse for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But they aren’t great. During Wednesday’s“Breakfast With Benz” podcast, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I spent a lot of time drilling down on the problems facing the power play. But that’s not where the analysis needs to stop....

Penguins defenseman John Marino was added to the NHL’s list of players unavailable to play or practice because of the league’s covid-19 protocol. Marino’s name was added to the list Wednesday. The Penguins, as scheduled, did not practice. The inclusion of Marino’s name on the list does not necessarily indicate...

A bunch of Canadian media used their platform to try to wish Sidney Crosby to a Canadian team, speculating that the Penguins and Crosby may (this got said with great gravitas) talk about his future this coming offseason, and what would be Crosby’s likely destination? That “speculation” (read: made-up drivel)...

Because of covid-19 issues with the New Jersey Devils, the Penguins won’t play again until Feb. 6 against the New York Islanders. The games against New Jersey at PPG Paints Arena have been postponed. So what will they do with the downtime? Working on the power play is a good...

In any other timeline, Tuesday would have been unusual for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But practicing at Madison Square Garden in the middle of bustling New York then flying home to Pittsburgh might have been relatively normal compared to their past seven days. To review, the past week for the Penguins...

Injured Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese and defenseman Mike Matheson participated in the team’s practice Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Both remain on injured reserve but have been semi-regular presences at the Penguins’ irregular practice sessions as of late. Aston-Reese is recuperating from offseason surgery on his...

The Penguins assigned defenseman Will Reilly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. A first-year professional, Reilly was recalled from the taxi squad Monday and served as a healthy scratch during a 3-1 road loss to the New York Rangers that same day. Reilly, 23, has yet to play a...

The Penguins entered Monday’s road game against the New York Rangers with a hideous slump on the power play. They preached the right things about trying to remedy their malfunctions in that area. “Simplify” and “shoot” are two words they have offered repeatedly, almost to a man, during their skid...

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Brian Dumoulin on long-term injured reserve. That designation allowed them to recall defenseman Will Reilly, a first-year professional, from their taxi squad. Dumoulin, one of the team’s top players, has been sidelined the past two games — since a 3-2 overtime road loss to the...

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ upcoming home games Tuesday and Thursday against the New Jersey Devils have been postponed indefinitely. On Monday, the NHL announced four additional Devils players were added to the league’s covid-19 protocol-related absence list. They join the six Devils players already on that list prior to Monday. Those...

The Penguins will wear white alternate jerseys for Monday’s road game against the New York Rangers. With the NHL struggling to generate revenue this season as a result of limited ticket revenue because of the pandemic, the league has made all 31 active teams don alternate jerseys this season. The...

A weekly look at how Penguins prospects and minor leaguers have fared over the past week: • In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), forwards Nathan Legare and Sam Poulin each made their debuts for Val-d’Or Foreurs on Saturday in a 3-2 shootout road win against the Gatineau Olympiques....

Monday’s “First Call” is a hockey hotbed. Former Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is continuing to have problems with his new team. And on Sunday, many of them were caused by some other guys who also used to skate in Pittsburgh. In fact, ex-Penguins are scoring like crazy all over the...

The 1980s were good for a few things. Hair metal. Karate. Tom Cruise movies. Acid wash jeans. Just a few things that leap to mind. However, they weren’t a great time for the Pittsburgh sports scene. No titles were won in Pittsburgh from 1979 (when the Steelers and Pirates both...

Goaltender Emil Larmi made 21 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who opened their preseason with a 5-1 road win against the Binghamton Devils at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House in Newark, N.J., on Sunday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got goals from forwards Jordy Bellerive, John Gruden, Zach Nastasiuk, Tim Schaller and defenseman Josh...

The Penguins might cheat you when it comes to certain things. They might cheat you on structure. They might cheat you on goaltending. Evgeni Malkin is cheating you on production. The cataclysmically injured defense corps is getting cheated on luck. But the Penguins are not cheating you when it comes...

You can illustrate how dismal of a situation the Pittsburgh Penguins have on defense by simply pointing out they have six defensemen sidelined by injury. But you can paint a much more vivid picture by noting one of their options during a 5-4 overtime road win against the Rangers on...