Devils Deflate Penguins 5-2

In 1978 rocker Bruce Springsteen collaborated with Jersey shore pal Southside Johnny Lyon on the tune Trapped Again. Although “the Boss” didn’t have hockey in mind when he wrote the lyrics, it could easily serve as the Penguins’ theme song whenever they play New Jersey. Following an all-too-familiar script, the Pens fell behind early at the Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon and were smothered into submission by Martin Brodeur and company, 5-2.

“We gave them a couple of goals and we were playing from behind right from the start,” Pens defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “Brodeur is tough to beat. He was pretty good today and that team in general is tough to play against when they have the lead.”

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Penguins Rattle Bruins 2-1

Entering Saturday afternoon’s matchup of Eastern Conference heavyweights at TD Garden, both Pittsburgh and Boston were experiencing goal-scoring droughts. While the Penguins had been blanked by Toronto in their most recent outing, the Bruins were coming off a lackluster 3-0 whitewashing at the hands of Carolina.

Neither team struck pay dirt until late in a sluggish first period, when Boston’s Rich Peverley handed the Penguins a power play. Eight seconds before the buzzer NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin scooped up a Chris Kunitz rebound and zipped the puck past All-Star goalie Tim Thomas for his team-high 28th goal of the season.

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Toronto’s MacArthur Parks Penguins 1-0

Just when it seemed the high-flying Penguins might never lose, Toronto snapped the black-and-gold’s eight-game winning streak Wednesday night in a taut defensive struggle at Air Canada Centre. Nemesis Clarke MacArthur (seven goals in 20 games versus the Pens) supplied the offense, while James Reimer (25 saves) outdueled Brent Johnson in a battle of seldom-used backups.

In stark contrast to Tuesday’s wild-and-woolly goal-fest in Pittsburgh, the clubs engaged in a hard-fought, low-scoring affair.

“Just a tight-checking game,” Pens defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “The good thing is that we were better defensively. That was our focus coming in.”

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Penguins Burn Leafs 5-4 in Shootout

I’ve pretty much given up trying to come up with superlatives to describe the Penguins’ 5-4 shootout win over Toronto at CONSOL Energy Center on Tuesday night. Awesome? Too trite. Spine-tingling? Close, but no cigar. Amazing? Gettin’ warm.

It wasn’t enough that the Pens overcame a 4-1 third-period deficit—not to mention a stirring two-goal effort by birthday boy Mikhail Grabovski—to snatch their eighth win in a row. Rather, it was the way they accomplished the feat. They won with a riveting display of purpose and intensity that bordered on sheer savagery.

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Pittsburgh Penguins 2012 Deadline Trade Rumors

We will keep updating this until the trade deadline:

Here we go again, the trade rumors are circling and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been brought up again over and over mostly mentioning the Penguins picking up rental players.

—————- February 6th, 2012

Kevin Allen – USA TODAY – If injured Sidney Crosby can come back, it would have a larger impact than any deal any team will make. The question: Can he come back this season?

*Krundle’s Thoughts:  It is simple math, just like last year.  If the Penguins make a move for a player (last year it was Kovalev) with a high salary without giving up a even salary then they know that Crosby will not be back at least until the playoffs start.  My personal guess is that Crosby will be back with 10 games remaining in the season.

—————- February 1st, 2012

This is not a rumor:  The Penguins picked up 25 year old 6′ Center Cal O’Reilly off waivers from Phoenix.  His cap hit is $375,000.  O’Reilly was originally drafted by Penguins GM Ray Shero back when Shero worked for the Nashville Predators.  It is unknown where O’Reilly fits into the Pens lineup, but this could be a pre-cursor to more moves by Ray Shero.  O’Reily has 13 goals and 40 points in 107 games and does not have any NHL playoff experience.

—————- January 30th, 2012

Scott Cullen – TSN.COM - “The wild card for the Eastern Conference may be the Pittsburgh Penguins. If they know they will have Sidney Crosby available, the Penguins are likely Cup contenders and can make the kind of move that might put them over the hump.”  “Pittsburgh should at least upgrade their secondary scoring. Even once Jordan Staal returns to the lineup, Malkin, James Neal and Chris Kunitz could use additional support if the Penguins are going to make serious noise in the postseason. ”

—————- January 21st, 2012

OTTAWA SUN – “Montreal D Hal Gill will be a hot commodity once the Habs decide to start unloading. The Flyers, Penguins, Panthers and Senators all have interest. Don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh brings back Gill; the Penguins never wanted to lose him to free agency weeks after he helped them win the Cup in 2009″

OTTAWA SUN -  “The Penguins have more than a passing interest in Tampa’s ...

Penguins All-Star Memories

Most Penguins fans are familiar with the All-Star exploits of Steel City superstars like Mario Lemieux. Indeed, those of us who are old enough will never forget Mario’s breathtaking four-goal effort before an adoring throng at the 1990 All-Star Game—the first ever hosted in Pittsburgh.

However, No. 66 isn’t the only Penguins player to shine in All-Star competition. On the contrary, in the days before the Fantasy Draft, Super Skills Competition, and double-digit scores local skaters snatched the spotlight with stunning regularity.

The first Penguin to make a splash at the All-Star Game was left wing Greg Polis. Picked seventh overall in the 1970 Amateur Draft, the husky 6’0” 195-pounder could skate like the wind and possessed a blistering shot. One of the few players of his day to make the jump directly from junior hockey to the NHL, Polis scored 30 goals for the Pens in only his second season.

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Penguins History: Duane Rupp

Next to Ron Stackhouse, perhaps no Penguin was less appreciated in his time than defenseman Duane Rupp. Ironically, the fans’ dissatisfaction stemmed from a similar cause. Like Stackhouse, Rupp was a big player for his day (6’1” 195) who didn’t fit the mold of a stay-at-home bruiser.

A product of the “Original Six” era, Rupp became New York Rangers property after winning the Memorial Cup as a member of the Flin Flon Bombers. Known for his huge hands—and slowness afoot—the MacNutt, Saskatchewan native focused on his defensive chores at first. However, as his confidence grew Duane displayed a genuine flair for offense, tallying 117 points over a three-year span with the Rochester Americans while earning All-Star honors.

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