It’s something of a cliché to say a pro sports team is searching for its identity. Through the first month of the regular season, though, it’s hard to describe the 2023-24 Pittsburgh Penguins any other way. With a 3-5 record through eight games, they’re 28th of 32 NHL...
The Ron Hextall era technically came to an end in Pittsburgh back on April 14, but one could argue that it really came to a close Aug. 6, when Kyle Dubas, now the team’s one-man GM and president of hockey ops, cleaned up a few of Hextall’s most significant messes and acquired the superstar he coveted in one fell swoop.
The core, brought back at bargain contracts for the chance to make one more run at the Stanley Cup, did their part. Sidney Crosby? At age 35, he didn’t miss a game and put together a season worthy of MVP consideration with 91 points (33G, 58A) in 81 games. So, where did it all go so wrong?
The NHL trade deadline is report card day of sorts for the league’s 32 general managers. The media and, perhaps most importantly, the ticket-buying fans hand out grades on how well the person entrusted with the wellbeing of their franchise did in improving their outlook. For Penguins GM Ron Hextall, the observers have weighed in – and it’s less of an A, B or F than an Incomplete.
If you started watching Pittsburgh Penguins hockey in the Sidney Crosby era, you missed the late 1980s, when a young Mario Lemieux captained the team but the organization was still a couple of years – and a significantly better front office – away from its first Stanley Cups. The Penguins have had some lean years since then, but it’s been a long time since the home fans raised their voices in protest quite like they did Thursday night.
How does a team with no shortage of multi-time Stanley Cup winners forget how to win? No, the Penguins haven’t gone the entirety of the 2022-23 season without winning. They’re still over .500, in fact, largely on the strength of their 4-0-1 start and a recent 14-2-2 streak. But before that hot streak, there was the 0-6-1 losing streak, and now there’s a three-game losing streak that’s featured some flat-out ugly losses.
Kris Letang is a special defenseman, ranked No. 31 on the NHL’s all-time scoring list at his position. Only two active blueliners have more points (145G, 517A, 662P), and only four – including Bobby Orr – rank higher with fewer games played than Letang’s 962. The Pens feel confident Letang will play more NHL games. As of Wednesday, though, when that might happen is a question mark.
If this feels like unfamiliar territory for the Penguins during the Sidney Crosby era, that’s because it is. With a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken Saturday night, Pittsburgh has lost seven straight for the first time since Crosby’s rookie season, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8, 2006.
Over the offseason, Penguins management made the decision to bring back their roster largely intact, with the intent of making another run at the Stanley Cup. Through the first five games, their faith is looking well-founded, because Pittsburgh has the look of a contender.
The Pittsburgh Penguins open the 2022-23 season this Thursday, Oct. 13, when they host the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena. The opening night roster is set, and the blue line looks a little different than what you might have expected based on the preseason.
A summer that was expected to bring seismic changes for the Penguins ended instead in the unlikely return of the big three. With fresh long-term deals, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are back alongside captain Sidney Crosby for an NHL-unprecedented 17th season.
There’s no way around it. This one will be tough to swallow. If the Penguins’ offseason begins Sunday, with a first-round exit for the fourth time in as many years, this is the year that will sting the worst. Because, after sitting in the driver’s seat with an...
With a 3-1 lead in their first-round series, the Pittsburgh Penguins had plenty of reason to feel confident, even as they headed into the unfriendly confines of Madison Square Garden. They’d been better than the Rangers in nearly every facet of the series so far....
The start of Game 4 didn’t bode well for the Penguins. Just two minutes in, 20-year-old Alexis Lafrenière found the back of the net for his first career playoff goal, with Penguins blueliner Kris Letang screening goalie Louis Domingue while not providing much in the...
Secondary scoring? Check. It took the Penguins all of 1:57 for their bottom six to find the net in Game 3, with forward Brock McGinn breaking the ice on a centering attempt that was at first waved off for the net being dislodged, then reversed when officials...
If the Penguins drop their series to the New York Rangers and go out in the first round for the fourth consecutive year, one thing is for certain – third-string goaltender Louis Domingue will have given them his best in a challenging situation. “I think he’s played...
No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry, after waiting all year to redeem himself in the playoffs, couldn’t start. No.2 Casey DeSmith couldn’t finish. No. 3 Louis Domingue came in cold in the second overtime, fresh from a meal of spicy pork and broccoli, and got the win. That was...
The Pittsburgh Penguins go into the postseason in an unfamiliar position – as heavy underdogs. This was a tale of two seasons for the Penguins. At the All-Star break, they were the NHL’s sixth-best team with 62 points, two points off the Metro lead, with a 27-11-8...
At times during what has now become a 2-6-1 freefall, the Penguins and head coach Mike Sullivan have spoken with confidence about trusting the process. They’re doing the right things but not getting the results. Playing hard but not getting the bounces. Saturday,...
After a 4-3 loss to Carolina Sunday afternoon, the Penguins still ranked among the NHL’s top five teams. With 70 points, they remained No. 2 in the tough Metropolitan Division. Their desire and work ethic can rarely be questioned – see their recent 4-2 comeback win...
Assuming the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice Sunday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks, it will bring an end to an unexpected, two-week pause in their season. With five games postponed due to COVID-19 issues ranging from opponents on the protocol list to...
“It’s just another game against a different team.” Those were the words from Pittsburgh netminder Tristan Jarry after his 1-0 shutout of the New York Islanders Friday night, the first meeting between the clubs since the Isles knocked the Penguins out of the playoffs...
The Penguins surprised out of the gate this season, scoring four or more goals in four of their first five games and winning three of those contests. Since their 7-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs two Saturdays ago, though, they’ve: gone 1-3-2, picking up just four...
Already missing Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust (lower body, week-to-week), the 2-0-2 Penguins headed into Saturday night’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs down a couple more players. Veteran Jeff Carter, who’s been centering the first line in...
The Penguins are still missing Sidney Crosby (wrist surgery, now day-to-day) and Evgeni Malkin (knee surgery, at least two months). For the season opener in Tampa Bay, forwards Jake Guentzel and Zach Aston-Reese remained on the COVID-19 protocol list, while defenseman...
The Penguins managed to get through the shortened 2021 season without a single COVID-19 case. Now, less than a week into the 2021-22 preseason, they find themselves dealing with a mini-outbreak as two players from the NHL roster, Zach Aston-Reese and Jake Guentzel,...
If you expected the Penguins to look a whole lot different after failing to advance past the first round of the playoffs for a third consecutive season, you were right. It’s also a safe bet that the 2021-22 roster, as it stands right now, isn’t exactly what you had in...
The Penguins outplayed the New York Islanders for at least four, maybe five games of their six-game series. They dominated Games 5 and 6 by a wide margin. Friday, though, the Penguins were facing reporters’ questions via Zoom after their locker clean-outs and exit...
After an undisciplined Game 4 at Long Island put the Penguins in a 2-2 series deadlock with the New York Islanders, they returned home to PPG Paints Arena Monday facing what could fairly be described as a must-win situation. These playoffs represent perhaps the last,...
After the Penguins’ deflating, 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders in Game 1, head coach Mike Sullivan said he knew his team had more to give. From the drop of the puck in Game 2, they set about proving him right. “Going into this game, we knew every one of us needed...
