Mike Johnston – Inside Hockey

Penguins’ Resurgence Driven by Speed, Skill

The shift in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ identity started almost immediately after head coach Mike Sullivan was hired. “When you’re handed a group of players, I try to look at it and say, what are our strengths...

Jim Rutherford and the damage done…

Pittsburgh’s firing of Mike Johnston as head coach of the Penguins is the latest half-measure taken by the epitome of managerial mediocrity general manager Jim Rutherford. The blow was not surprising. Rutherfor...

Penguins Look for Production, Accountability with Coaching Change

In yet another game where the Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play could’ve made a difference, but instead went 0-for-3 in a 3-2 shootout loss to the L.A. Kings, Mike Johnston lamented the offense that could’ve been...

Analysis: Twenty-five Games In, Penguins Need to Adjust

Twenty-five games into the 2015-16 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are a puzzling study in contrasts. Often on the same night. Are they the team that steamrolled to their first win in San Jose in 18 years Tu...

Despite Maatta Injury, Pens’ New D Pairs Look Promising

For the Pittsburgh Penguins’ struggling defensive corps, as the saying goes, sometimes when a door closes, a window opens. Tuesday, 21-year-old blueliner Olli Maatta added to the bad-luck streak that’s hampe...

Penguins ‘Mad At Each Other’ After Losing Three of Last Four

Could the Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent success have been a mirage, masking major flaws that are now becoming impossible to ignore? After starting the season 0-3, the Penguins won nine of their next 10, largel...

After 0-3 Start, Newfound Depth Helps Penguins Win Seven of Eight

After an 0-3 start, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won seven of their past eight and are starting to inch up the Eastern Conference standings. They’ve done that largely on the shoulders of netminder Marc-Andre...

Eight Games In, Penguins Struggle to League’s Second-worst Offense

After limping out of the gate to an 0-3 start, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ record has evened up at 4-4. Their offense, however – ostensibly featuring four skilled lines with the potential to score – is still a wor...

Penguins Work to Find Chemistry after Offseason of Change

Four games into the 2015-16 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally got into the win column Thursday with a 2-0 shutout of the Ottawa Senators. And they did it by making some changes to what hadn’t been working...

With ‘Take-charge Attitude,’ Sprong Earns Roster Spot

Daniel Sprong had some big news to share. So, naturally, one of his first calls was back home to Montreal, where his family moved from Amsterdam when Daniel was a 7-year-old kid with an NHL dream. “I called ...

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