Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 191
Hollidaysburg’s Sam Lafferty could make his Penguins debutVideo
The Galactic Ice rink in Altoona won’t be terribly crowded Tuesday night. Sure, the Mustangs, a 12-and-under team, have a practice at 7 p.m. and then there’s an adult rec league contest between the Outlaws and the hated Hellcats at 8 p.m. But beyond that, any Blair County citizens with...
From Wheeling to Winnipeg, former Penguins forward Mark Letestu endures
After more than a decade in the NHL, journeyman Mark Letestu finally made headlines. During a preseason home game against the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 26, the Jets forward was sitting on the bench and needed a pick-me-up. So he utilized to a curious performance-enhancement substance the World Anti-Doping Agency...
Jets appreciate value of Penguins’ Brandon Tanev
As Brandon Tanev left the ice after practice Monday in Cranberry, he had a captive audience that offered something he hasn’t received much since he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boos. The Winnipeg Jets, who had just arrived at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex for their own practice, jeered Tanev as he...
Evgeni Malkin left an enduring impression on Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice
The Winnipeg Jets are off to a disjointed start to the 2019-20 season with a 1-2-0 record that has been punctuated by a dearth of defensemen. Dustin Byfuglien did not report to training camp and remains absent in order attend to personal matters, including his own future in the sport....
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad out ‘longer term’ with injuries
The Penguins have boasted about the depth and versatility their roster — specifically their cache of forwards — possessed entering the 2019-20 campaign. Each of those traits will be put to the test during the ensuing weeks (or possibly months). Penguins centers Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad are expected to...
The Penguins are still trying to sort out their right wingers
When it comes to the Penguins’ right wingers, there really is only one absolute. Bryan Rust is injured. The versatile forechecker, who has been pliable throughout his career to just about any line coaches have placed him on, began the season on long-term injured reserve because of a suspected left...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 7, Blue Jackets 2
Observations from the Penguins’ 7-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. First things first, there was no update on forwards Evgeni Malkin or Nick Bjugstad. Malkin left the game at 8:04 of the second period after an awkward, but hardly violent, collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov along the...
Penguins rout Blue Jackets but lose Evgeni Malkin, Nick BjugstadVideo
Evgeni Malkin didn’t complete the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. An awkward collision with Columbus defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov into the boards midway through the second period ended the franchise center’s night prematurely. But Malkin’s influence on this contest was unmistakable....
Penguins’ Dominik Simon relishes chance to play on Sidney Crosby’s line
Over the years, Sidney Crosby has looked to his right and viewed a rotating crew ranging from sublime talents such as Marian Hossa to sage veterans like Bill Guerin to sturdy contributors such as Pascal Dupuis to subpar entities akin to Steve Downie. Then there is Dominik Simon. One of...
Teddy Blueger finds place on Penguins’ fourth line
Thursday’s season opener between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres involved some of the most voracious television markets for hockey in the United States. Countless television set between Leetsdale and Lackawanna, N.Y., and several other towns, villages and hamlets along the corridors of Interstates 79 and 90, were tuned into...
Penguins make changes after season-opening loss to Sabres
A day after an insipid season-opening 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins made several changes to their lines, defensive pairs and power-play units during practice at Cranberry on Friday. The team’s lines and pairs were: 59 Jake Guentzel – 87 Sidney Crosby –...
Empty Thoughts: Sabres 3, Penguins 1
Observations from the Penguins’ season-opening 3-1 loss to the Sabres. The Penguins were supposed to be faster, hungrier and more attentive than the squad which meekly lost to the Islanders in a four-game sweep during the first round of the 2019 postseason. Instead, on the opening night of the 2019-20...
Penguins lose lackluster season opener at home to SabresVideo
The Penguins entered the season with the potential of returning to the days when they were the faster, more dynamic team on the ice. And Thursday, they saw one of the key players from their two most recent Stanley Cup championship teams generate ample offense as he dashed and darted...
Penguins’ Jack Johnson shuts out trade talk to focus on improving
Jack Johnson was where he thought he’d be Thursday morning. Not Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Not the Pepsi Center in Denver. Not any of the NHL’s other 30 corporate-monikered confines. And definitely not Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre. (Or a surplus Saturn-V rocket aimed at the sun...
Penguins turn to Jake Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist in power play
Phil Kessel wasn’t at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ morning skate on Thursday. That’s nothing out of the ordinary. After all, coach Mike Sullivan usually makes the morning skates optional, and Kessel vigorously took the option over the past four years. Also, there is the matter of Kessel having been traded to...
Penguins have paired Jack Johnson, Justin Schultz again
Jack Johnson was where he thought he’d be Thursday morning. Not Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Not the Pepsi Center in Denver. Not any of the NHL’s other 30 corporate-monikered confines. And definitely not Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre. (Or a surplus Saturn-V rocket aimed at the sun...
Penguins’ Alex Galchenyuk is a ‘game-time decision’ vs. Sabres
Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk is expected to be in the lineup for Thursday’s season-opening contest against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. He missed the bulk of the preseason due to an undisclosed injury. “He feels really good,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “We’ll visit with the trainers but...
Have the Penguins reclaimed their speed?
It was a throwback to a bygone era during the late stages of Penguins practice in Cranberry on Wednesday. They performed a task they have largely ignored for roughly half a decade. A shootout drill. Players in black and yellow jerseys took turns on goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray,...
Alex Galchenyuk resumes practicing with the PenguinsVideo
Penguins forward Alex Galchenyuk resumed practicing for the first time in a week Wednesday in Cranberry. Skating primarily on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Tanev, Galchenyuk reported feeling good in his recovery from an undisclosed injury. While he has skated on his own (or with a coach) before...
Penguins place Bryan Rust on injured reserve, recall rookie John Marino
The Penguins officially placed forward Bryan Rust on long-term injured reserve on Wednesday and recalled rookie defenseman John Marino from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Rust has a suspected left hand injury which was suffered during Saturday’s preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marino, 22, appeared in five preseason games and recorded two...
Penguins expect an even workload for Matt Murray and his backupsVideo
Last season, Tristan Jarry became a viral sensation. During the late stages of an afternoon AHL game on Nov. 14 between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Springfield Falcons at venerable MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., the Falcons pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker and Jarry pounced on the opportunity. Knocking...
Penguins announce season-opening roster
The Penguins announced their season opening roster, which is composed of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders: Forwards: Zach Aston-Reese, Nick Bjugstad, Teddy Blueger, Sidney Crosby, Alex Galchenyuk, Jake Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist, Dominik Kahun, Evgeni Malkin, Jared McCann, Bryan Rust, Dominik Simon and Brandon Tanev. Defensemen: Brian Dumoulin, Erik...
Former Penguins forward Lee Stempniak retires
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Lee Stempniak announced his retirement after a 14-year career in the NHL. His retirement was announced by the NHLPA on Tuesday. Stempniak, 36, played 21 games for the Penguins late in the 2013-14 season after being acquired at the 2014 trade deadline. Primarily skating on a...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby returns to practiceVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby returned to practice at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday for the first time since suffering an undisclosed injury over the past weekend. During the first period of a 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, Crosby was stuck in the left...
The Penguins are intrigued by the NHL’s new faceoff rules
In a never-ending quest to boost offensive numbers, the NHL annually tinkers with the rules and regulations during the offseason. One year, the league lessened the depth of the net to give attacking players more room behind the cage to create scoring chances. Another year, it was decreed teams could...
