Penguins Nation

On paper, it looked like an easy win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After three days of rest, the Penguins (3-1-0) hosted the Philadelphia Flyers (1-3-2) for NBCSN's "Wednesday Night Rivalry." The Penguins have looked solid in the season's early going, while the Flyers have struggled—particularly on defense. Philadelphia was also dealing with the tougher schedule. While the Penguins have played just one road game so far this year, the Flyers had to travel to Pittsburgh after being shut out 4-0 by the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Those circumstances should have been set the stage for a Pittsburgh victory, but it was the Flyers who once again exercised ...

On paper, it looked like an easy win for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After three days of rest, the Penguins (3-1-0) hosted the Philadelphia Flyers (1-3-2) for NBCSN's "Wednesday Night Rivalry." The Penguins have looked solid in the season's early going, while the Flyers have struggled—particularly on defense. Philadelphia was also dealing with the tougher schedule. While the Penguins have played just one road game so far this year, the Flyers had to travel to Pittsburgh after being shut out 4-0 by the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Those circumstances should have been set the stage for a Pittsburgh victory, but it was the Flyers who once again exercised ...

Four games into his career as an NHL head coach, Mike Johnston is breathing new life into the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team is off to a solid 3-1 start while leading the NHL in power-play efficiency and goals per game. It's no easy feat to improve a club that has won back-to-back division championships, made eight straight playoff appearances and won the 2009 Stanley Cup. The sample size is small so far, but it looks like Johnston's approach is breeding on-ice success and an improved team culture. Before joining the Penguins, Johnston established a high-scoring, puck-possession playing style with the Portland Winterhawks of the ...

Is Pascal Dupuis lucky or unlucky? After nearly 10 months off the ice due to a serious knee injury, it looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins winger's return to action would be cut short at three games when he was stretchered off the ice midway through Thursday's contest against the Dallas Stars. The faithful breathed a sigh of relief when Dupuis skated alone before Friday's practice at Consol Energy Center.  "He looked fine this morning," head coach Mike Johnston told Sam Kasan of Penguins.com after practice. "He got checked out by the medical staff. He’s been basically cleared by them. They wanted to see ...

We're just two games into the 2014-15 NHL season. So far, it looks like the drama that the Pittsburgh Penguins endured through the offseason is leading to positive results. It's hard not to feel optimistic about a 2-0 record to start the season, 11 goals in those two games and strong play throughout the lineup.  Coach Mike Johnston appears to have found a way to supercharge an already aggressive Penguins offense, leading to plenty of scoring and a playing style that's great fun for fans to watch. Of course, no team is ever perfect, and small sample sizes can lead to extreme conclusions. ...

On Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their 2014-15 NHL season on a high note with a 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The game made a positive first impression for a new regime led by rookie head coach Mike Johnston and new general manager Jim Rutherford, but fans already know that the Penguins are good in the regular season. The true test of the changes won't come until playoff time. After a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and a championship in 2009, the Penguins looked like they were on their way to dynasty status. Failure to live up to those ...

The summer of 2014 has been a time of change for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the goal remains the same. Not content with being one of the NHL's best regular-season teams, the Penguins replaced general manager Ray Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma with Jim Rutherford and Mike Johnston in an offseason shakeup that's meant to lead to one destination: the Stanley Cup. The journey begins on Thursday, when the Penguins open their 2014-15 season by hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Here are five burning questions that surround the team as the new campaign gets underway.   All stats courtesy of NHL.com. Salary information from CapGeek.com.Begin ...

After acquiring Patrick Hornqvist in a draft-day trade last June, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping that the winger will provide some greasy offense for the second line alongside his projected center, Evgeni Malkin. When it comes to scoring, Hornqvist is all about going to the net, using his tenacity to make up for a shortage of top-end skill. "I wanted to play like Peter Forsberg when I grew up," he told Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as the Penguins' exhibition schedule wound to a close on Wednesday. "But I decided I couldn't." "I’ve always liked to be in front of the net, start some scrums, try ...

Stop me if you've heard this one. The Pittsburgh Penguins were among the best teams in the regular season, rolling over the competition on their way to a 100-point season. But when the playoffs began, the Penguins fell woefully short of a Stanley Cup and even failed to reach the Stanley Cup final. That was the Penguins' story in 2013-14 and has been the story in every season since they won the Cup in 2009.    What We Learned in 2013-14 Welcome to the Penguin Galaxy, which is just two stars surrounded by vast, empty nothingness. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were both as healthy as ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins' 2014 preseason schedule wraps up on Wednesday when the team visits Detroit to take on the Red Wings. Even without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin taking to the ice, a wide range of storylines have swirled for the past 10 days around a team that's in a state of flux. Plenty of new faces are eager to show that they belong, while some of Pittsburgh's established veterans also find themselves with something to prove as preparations for the new season continue. Here are the five players who are most focused on making a strong impression as camp wraps up.Begin Slideshow