Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 34

Drew O’Connor didn’t mince words. His play had dropped off. And he knew it. In the midst of a seven-game slump without a point, he offered a blunt critique of himself Feb. 13. “I need to find ways to contribute more,” O’Connor said after a practice in Cranberry that day....

Kyle Dubas has given the flawed Pittsburgh Penguins the next two weeks to figure out what they are. A playoff team or … otherwise. On Thursday, they took a step, albeit an incremental one, toward being the former and not the latter with a 4-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens...

The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Tristan Jarry for Tuesday’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Jarry’s status following an optional morning skate. In 36 games this season, Jarry has a 14-17-4 record, a 2.50 goals against average, a .914...

Kyle Dubas was surprised Tuesday. Disappointed by the Penguins’ 5-4 overtime loss to the New York Islanders? Absolutely. But the team’s president of hockey operations was very surprised by what he saw in PPG Paints Arena. Coming off an emotional weekend in which the franchise celebrated the legacy of icon...

If the Penguins are to salvage what remains of their final 29 games of the regular season, they’ll need every bit of the resolve they showed Tuesday in their 53rd contest of 2023-24. They’ll also need to avoid all of the mistakes that led to them suffering a disheartening 5-4...

Before Tuesday, P.O Joseph’s most recent appearance in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup came in a 5-2 home loss to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 14 when he served as a seventh defenseman. The team was dealing with some injuries and limited salary cap space limited it to dressing 11 forwards...

The Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic for Tuesday’s home game against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status following an optional morning skate. In 18 games this season, Nedeljkovic has a 9-4-3 record, a 2.54 goals against average, a...

Matthew Phillips experienced a first in his still-brief tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A day without Jaromir Jagr. After being claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Friday, Phillips parachuted into the delirium of the Penguins’ weekend-long celebration of Jagr that included the icon practicing with the active players...

The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Hellberg was initially summoned to the NHL roster Sunday under emergency conditions. On Monday, coach Mike Sullivan explained one of his team’s incumbent goaltenders — he did not identify which one — was not feeling...

There probably isn’t vocabulary — in any language — to fully explain what took place Sunday at PPG Paints Arena. Honestly, a gently affectionate 78-year-old lady from Czechia who speaks limited English probably did the best to illustrate the emotions that flooded the venue. She cried. Bawled, really. And her...

He chose his words carefully. And he took time to answer questions, wanting to provide thoughtful responses. After all, it’s been nearly 23 years since he was in Pittsburgh as a member of the Penguins. Jaromir Jagr held court with reporters Sunday, a handful of hours before the team is...

Phil Bourque was mad. Everyone in Pittsburgh was. In summer 2011, Jaromir Jagr had teased a potential return to Pittsburgh, nearly a decade after he was traded — as requested — by Penguins management. A decade of angst over a jilted lover would be coming to an end, and one...

Jiri Hrdina remains a passing acquaintance of Jaromir Jagr in their home country, now called Czechia. As a scout with the Dallas Stars, Hrdina occasionally crosses paths with Jagr, still an active player in Czechia’s top hockey league, the Extraliga ledního hokeje (ELH or Czech Extraliga for those of the...

The Pittsburgh Penguins know what’s needed to reach the playoffs. Even if they might not have what is needed. At the moment, they have a deficit of healthy forwards, and they lost one of their best after the team announced Thursday that first-liner Jake Guentzel would be sidelined for “up...

The March of the Pittsburgh Penguins will get off to a difficult start. That’s assuming they survive what will be a challenging finish to February. On Thursday, the team placed All-Star forward Jake Guentzel on long-term injured reserve because of an undisclosed injury he suffered during a 5-2 home loss...

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, one of the team’s top players, suffered an undisclosed injury in the late stages of a 5-2 home loss to the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan did not provide a substantive update on Guentzel’s status other than to indicate he was...