RSS Penguins Team Notes

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

NHL Standings: With (About) 20 to go, the season hits a crucial point

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 08: Tommy Novak #18 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his overtime winning goal against Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Boston Bruins at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 8, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Yesterday’s third period and overtime was a thrilling one for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The swing from the regulation loss that seemed to be developing as Boston went up 3-0 early in the game would have put the Pens with a 76.2% chance for the playoffs, according to Moneypuck’s modeling. Instead, the comeback win boost Pittsburgh’s odds of a playoff berth up in that model’s eyes to 86.9% as a result of that action. That’s a huge swing for early March and gives a taste of how great meaningful hockey can be this time of the year.

Here’s what some other models say for the Penguins as of today, while noting Moneypuck has adjusted the Pens’ odds down to 81.2% as of this morning after the other games from yesterday were completed.

Hockey-Reference: 85.3%
The Athletic: 69.0%
Stathletes: 57.9%

Here’s the standings as of today as the season makes the turn to all teams having 20 or fewer games remaining.

Columbus and Ottawa has experienced the classic catch up burst often seen by non-playoff teams to stay within shouting distance of the others, however it can be hard to make a lot of progress. Columbus was five points back of Pittsburgh when the teams returned from the Olympic break in late-February, today on March 9th CBJ remains the same five points behind the Pens (although CBJ has picked up a game in hand).

Ticking off more games without making any headway becomes a bigger and bigger issue as the games remaining evaporate. Last year the Blue Jackets were in this same position in chase mode, missing the playoffs by two points. A similar story could be developing again this year as the Jackets try to hunt down one of the Islanders or Penguins (as well as the fifth place Atlantic Division team, currently Boston).

Overall, and somewhat shockingly, we can probably close the book for good and officially on the playoff hopes for all of Toronto, Florida, New Jersey and Washington as the trade deadline passes. All four of those teams were tucked away safely within their respective top-3 divisional seed last year for a playoff berth. This year, it wasn’t to be for any of them. That opens the door for a lot of new teams to rise in their places. That looks like Buffalo, Detroit will certainly be taking advantage of that on the Atlantic side. It can be hard to remember since the Islanders tend to be annoyingly always in the picture, but they weren’t in the playoffs last year either. The Penguins haven’t been in a few years. Some of the prior mainstays heading for short seasons has opened the door for fresh blood in the playoff this spring.

Can the Penguins be one of them? Obviously the final answer is dependent on what happens in the last 19 games of the season. In the most simplistic terms, staying ahead of one of NYI or CBJ should be enough to get Pittsburgh back into the postseason for the first time since 2022. Even if both were to pass the Pens, it’s possible (though perhaps not likely) that Pittsburgh could earn a Wild Card by staying ahead of Boston and Ottawa. We’d call it unlikely, due to the common sense factor that it will be difficult to stay ahead of both BOS+OTT in a scenario where the Penguins also get surpassed by both NYI+CBJ, that becomes a difficult and unlikely proposition at this point, but still one that is technically possible.

Here’s what each team has on tap, and what to look out for. If you’re a Pens’ fan this week, you also will become a temporary supporter of the Los Angeles Kings this week, funny enough. The Kings have their own reasons to want to have a good week as they look to make a push back into a playoff spot in the West, if they are able to find a couple of regulation wins this week it would also prove to be beneficial to the Penguins.

NY Islanders: Finish up their Western trip (currently 1-2-0 on in it) with a game in St. Louis on Wednesday. Return home to play the LA Kings (LA defeated NYI 5-3 last week in California) and then a game against Calgary…On paper, not a very tough schedule with two teams (STL, CGY) who are non-factors. But the travel elements and the back-to-back make it a little more difficult than it might appear.

Columbus: Host LA Kings today, quick turnaround to play @TB tomorrow, stay on the road for a game @FLA on Thursday and @Philadelphia on Saturday…Currently 3/4 of those teams are not in the playoffs, though LA will be desperate to make progress to get back in it. Tough scheduling for that game tomorrow doesn’t do many favors for Columbus, though they should be setup to rebound for that with what looks like winnable games towards the end of the week

Pittsburgh: As mentioned, a road trip to Carolina, Vegas and Utah this week. Vegas is only 2-5-0 since the return from Olympics and the Pens just whomped the Knights 5-0 last week in Pittsburgh. That might be the game to have circled as really needing to count on getting something out of. The other item for the Pens is when can Sidney Crosby return and how much of a boost in skill and energy will it give them? Both could be significant, though it might not happen this week.

—

It’s setting up for a fun and fresh spring for the Penguins to race to the finish line. It feels like it’s been a while since Pittsburgh was so close to a playoff spot so late in the year, though that’s not so. The Pens entered the last week of the 2023-24 season and Game No. 80 in a playoff spot before fading away. That was spurred by a frantic comeback over the last 15 games, the difference this time around is that Pittsburgh has long been in a playoff spot this season instead of in a desperation chase mode from the outside.

This Pens team does seem to have a different energy, spirit and pride about themselves that hasn’t been around in too much force the past few years. As of now it has them in a great position to return to the playoffs, but they will be put to the test and made to earn it with this last month+ of the season.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/analysis/...bout-20-to-go-the-season-hits-a-crucial-point

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The week ahead: This is going to be challenge for Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 30: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 30, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

As Jimmy Dugan once said in A League Of Their Own: “It is supposed to be hard. If it was not hard, everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.“ The Pittsburgh Penguins are about to get a lesson in that over the next few games.

After an incredible come-from-behind win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday, the Penguins managed to take three out of a possible four points this weekend even though they played without captain Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension). While you would have liked to have seen them get the win on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, you would have absolutely signed up for three out of four points going into this weekend given the circumstances.

They got them.

It does not matter how. They do not ask you how when the playoffs begin. They just ask if you got them.

That win gives the Penguins a five-point cushion over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are the first team on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and a one-point cushion over the New York Islanders for the second in the Metropolitan Division while still having a game in hand on them.

Now they have to get into the truly difficult part of this March schedule, beginning a five-game road trip this week against five likely playoff teams and several Stanley Cup contenders. It is going to be a challenge.

If there is a positive to take from this: The Penguins have been able to rise to the challenge repeatedly this season. There is also a very good chance that Crosby returns to the lineup, and perhaps even as soon as Tuesday night. He is skating. He is practicing. He is close.

Overall, it is hard to ask for more than what the Penguins have been able to do without him since returning from the Olympic break. With this weekend’s games in the book, the Penguins are 3-2-2 without Crosby, earning eight out of a possible 14 points in the standings. That is .571 hockey. Considering that they played two games (and realistically, two and two-third games) without Malkin as well, that is more than acceptable. They were always going to lose some of these games. They just needed to find a way to get some points to keep their pace going and maintain their lead in the playoff race. They have done that. Now they have to find a way to keep scratching out a few points when they can.

The week and the road trip begins on Tuesday night with a Metropolitan Division game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, and always seems to give the Penguins problems, especially in recent years. But the Penguins have not only played exceptionally well within the division this season, they also won the first meeting with Carolina by a 5-1 margin at the end of December. It was one of the Penguins best and most complete games of the season, and also one of the games that really started their post-holiday break surge.

Carolina is also going to be playing the vaunted “first home game back after a long road trip,” which always seems to give teams fits for some reason.

After playing in Carolina, the Penguins travel out west to play the Vegas Golden Knights to complete their season series with them. Vegas should be a Stanley Cup contender on paper, but it has not quite played like it so far this season, and especially not recently. Goaltending is their big issue right now, and they are still playing without veteran winger Mark Stone who was injured in the first game with the Penguins a week ago. That is a big absence for their lineup.

The road trip then continues on Saturday in Salt Lake City where the Penguins will play the Utah Mammoth. Utah won the first meeting of the season, 5-4 in overtime, as part of that stretch in early December where the Penguins could not hold on to a third period lead at all. Utah is a really tough defensive team, but does not have great goaltending or an elite offense.

Overall these next three opponents rank third (Carolina), 15th (Vegas) and 16th (Utah) in the NHL in points percentage for the season, and fifth (Utah), sixth (Carolina) and 19th (Vegas) in the NHL in expected goals share during 5-on-5 play.

These are good teams. There are also some winnable games in there. Specifically the Utah and Vegas games.

Crosby’s potential availability will determine a lot for what the expectations should be, but if he returns at some point this week I would really like to see them find a way to get four points out of this. That will be challenging, but it is doable. The Penguins have repeatedly proven this season that they can compete in these games and win them. They showed this weekend they have depth. They are going to have a chance to really prove it.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/analysis/73734/the-week-ahead-this-is-going-to-be-challenge-for-penguins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Crosby skates, Brazeau and Girard injured in a bevy of updates

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 30: Justin Brazeau #16 of the Pittsburgh Penguins goes for the puck against K'Andre Miller #19 of the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 30, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It turned out to be an eventful morning skate for the Penguins today ahead of their game against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The team provided a glut of injury updates, including the announcement that Justin Brazeau will be out for a while.

Below are updated injury statuses/timelines on behalf of Head Coach Dan Muse:

Justin Brazeau – upper body, week to week
Sam Girard – upper body, day to day
Kevin Hayes – upper body, day to day

Ryan Graves is not practicing today (personal), but is available for tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/yiOkQlVq7r

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) March 10, 2026

Girard has missed a practice in his short stint with Pittsburgh while managing a minor lower body injury, he was not on the ice for the morning skate with what is now described as an upper body ailment. Hayes hasn’t been listed on the injury reports previously, but he would have had to be injured (or maybe “injured”) in order to have forward Ville Koivunen up on an emergency recall to set the Pens as needing a forward.

With all that bad news, there was some good news too. Sidney Crosby took the morning skate, though working on a line with the suspended Evgeni Malkin and the injured Kevin Hayes. There hasn’t been an exact date announced yet for when Crosby might return, but he’s now participated in multiple events and obviously being with the team on the ice is a good sign that the captain is nearing a return to play at some point during the five-game road trip.

Overall, the Penguins tonight might be lining up like this if the morning skate holds.

Crosby and Malkin are skating together on the extra forward trio. #LetsGoPens lines and D-pairs:

Chinakhov-Rakell-Rust
Mantha-Novak-Koivunen
Soderblom-Kindel-Hayes
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Shea-Letang
Solovyov-Clifton https://t.co/uavtxCIbTD

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 10, 2026

Ryan Graves (personal and unavailable this morning) is said to be ready to play if needed, though in recent games the Pens have opted to dress both Ilya Solovyov and Connor Clifton ahead of Graves at various times, so it remains to be seen if the team would decide to dress Graves for his first NHL game since January 27th.

Stuart Skinner was the first goalie to leave the practice, a reliable indicator that he will be starting tonight. Skinner will be looking to build on his previous start with the Pens against Carolina on December 30th, where the netminder stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 5-1 Pittsburgh win.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/news/73816/sidney-crosby-injury-update-brazeau-and-girard-injured-penguins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins/Hurricanes Recap: Pens make frantic comeback, but can’t master shootout yet again

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Seth Jarvis #24 of the Carolina Hurricanes goes for the puck guarded by Connor Clifton #75 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of the game at Lenovo Center on March 10, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Pregame​

No Sam Girard for the Penguins tonight (day-to-day injury), Stuart Skinner in the net.

How we’re lining up tonight.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/dQpJniFrcE

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 10, 2026

They meet this lineup from the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

Lines are locked pic.twitter.com/trk3pICvvH

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 10, 2026

First period​

Tough start for the Penguins, Connor Clifton does well to smack a puck out of mid-air that might have been floating into the net but he knocked it off the rink to take a penalty. Pittsburgh kills it off at the expense of the Hurricanes starting strong and looking to hang onto the puck.

Play builds further, CAR takes six of the first seven shots on goal. They score on a sequence where defenseman Mike Reilly skated in and shot high for a rebound Stuart Skinner couldn’t control. The puck bounced around for a bit until Logan Stankoven found it and quickly deposited into the net. 1-0 home team early.

Putting on the pressure and making it happen pic.twitter.com/P5TCHRWclL

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 10, 2026

Carolina keeps the steamroller going, pinning the Pens in their zone for a long shift. Seth Jarvis finds himself free in front of the net, dekes but Skinner uses a stretched leg to make a big stop.

After a TV timeout the Pens are finally able to get something going, coming from Elmer Soderblom and Ben Kindel actually completing a breakout. Soderblom gets a shot on goal and gets tripped along the way to generate the first Penguin power play. Not much comes of it.

Nikolaj Ehlers goes into the corner with Erik Karlsson and the collision downs Ehlers. Their legs came together as Ehlers got crunched against the wall, odd-looking play there.

That put a hush into the crowd, soon after the Pens pinched at the blueline and won the puck back. Ville Koivunen found Anthony Mantha in the middle of the ice with plenty of room, Mantha leaned back and wired a shot to the top shelf for his 24th goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.

ANTHONY MANTHA TIES IT WITH 0:55 LEFT IN THE FIRST pic.twitter.com/WjutaGSwPe

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) March 10, 2026

The Pens did a good job to recover after a very rocky opening stretch. They only allowed one goal and found a way to tie the game back up just before intermission. For a long while it looked like it could be a lot less favorable than a 1-1 game after 20 minutes.

Second period​

Kouvinen takes a stick to the chops to earn a second power play for the Pens on the night. Carolina gets the better chance when Sebastian Aho goes the other way on a 2-on-1 but Kris Letang is able to spoil the effort with a nice defensive play.

Carolina gets charged for another high-stick, the Pens don’t score again and Aho has another shorthanded opportunity, this time matched by a pair of great saves by Skinner. Rinse and repeat there (Soderblom did hit the post on a nice look).

It looked like the Pens were guilty of a penalty, Karlsson even skated all the way over to the penalty box only for a bewildered ref to ask what he was doing there. The penalty called ended up being on a Cane for closing his hand on the puck, sending Pittsburgh to yet another power play. After so many chances, they finally cash in. Jaccob Slavin breaks his stick and the Pens isolate against the further disadvantage when Egor Chinakhov passes through the suddenly open middle of the ice to Bryan Rust. Rust cuts into the right side and lifts the puck up and in the net. 2-1 Pens.

BRYAN RUST!

He scores from a sharp angle! pic.twitter.com/AsPkPBvT6H

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour is going berserk on the bench after all this turn of events, and not without reason. The Canes charge down the ice and both teams come together in a scrum after the whistle. Noel Acciari and Alex Nikishin both go to the box for roughing minors.

The inevitable even up call comes, Andrei Svechnikov dumps the puck and jumps into Parker Wotherspoon and Wotherspoon picks up a penalty for..’holding’ they call it. Carolina gets some good looks on the 4v3, Skinner stands tall.

Close calls at both ends, hotly contested action and tempers are high, fun hockey game through two periods. Shots are 24-19 CAR, score is 2-1 PIT.

Third period​

The Hurricanes get an early goal to tie the game with 17:11 left. Skinner stopped Mark Jankowski on the top of his left shoulder, the puck bounced to the feet of Connor Dewar but Jankowski got to it first and hacked the puck in to make it a 2-2 game.

was ready for the rebound! pic.twitter.com/FKJ11C9A3a

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2026

Carolina takes the lead just over a minute later. Connor Clifton lost the puck on the wall and Seth Jarvis had all the open space to jet up the ice and zoom past Ilya Solovyov. Jarvis cut to his forehand and beat Skinner. 3-2 game.

Thankful every day that Seth Jarvis is a Carolina Hurricane pic.twitter.com/IC9xAppFZY

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2026

Dan Muse uses his timeout to try and settle his team and slow the game down. It works, to an extent. The Pens look like they’re just holding on, shots at the first TV timeout of the third are 7-1 CAR (with two Hurricane goals).

The Pens get into penalty trouble, Ryan Shea goes off for cross-check. Wotherspoon takes his second trip to the box while shorthanded for 29 seconds worth of a 5v3.

Carolina takes their timeout to strategize, it pays off. They win the faceoff and control the puck, gradually closing down on the goal. A bunch of passes and Nikishin has an open net off a pass from Aho. 4-2 game.

Tick, Tick, BOOM pic.twitter.com/g8OTWPs5TA

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2026

Shea goes right back to the penalty box to hand Carolina another extended 5v3 opportunity, this time they couldn’t score but the clock drained out accordingly.

The Pens pull Skinner with over two minutes to go, they’re not going quietly. Bryan Rust throws a puck to the net, it hits Noel Acciari’s skate and jumps into the net. 4-3 game with 2:08 to go.

NO QUIT IN THE BLACK AND GOLD, PART I. pic.twitter.com/Y48gzpEU51

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 11, 2026

And don’t look now, but the comeback is completed. Goalie is pulled again, Carolina nearly scores but can’t do it. Play goes the other way, a shot gets thrown into the mixer and Bryan Rust gets the good luck for the puck to pop right to him. He quickly throws it into the net, 4-4 game with 36 seconds to go and the Penguins have made an unbelievable comeback to force overtime!

NO QUIT IN THE BLACK AND GOLD, PART II. pic.twitter.com/2WN7SNAvoX

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 11, 2026

Overtime​

Carolina gets the first chance but play goes the other way and Chinakhov hacks at it. Frederik Andersen just gets a shoulder on it to keep the puck out.

The teams trade chances, Mantha and Kindel get a 2-on-1 and Slavin has to latch onto Mantha’s drive to the net. Pittsburgh gets a 4v3 power play with 2:29 to play. They resort for a few low percentage backdoor plays for Rickard Rakell but don’t score.

Worse yet, the Hurricanes are sprung on a 2-on-0 as the power play ends. Or so they think, K’Andre Miller is about out of gas and he has the puck. He delays a little too long on his crossing pass and a sensational diving effort by Mantha breaks the play up.

Shootout​

Jarvis is the first one up, he tries to deke back to the forehand but Skinner holds his ground and gets a skate to it.

Ben Kindel takes the first one for the Pens. He winds in slowly from the right, his low shot hits the stick of Andersen but has enough mustard to get in and score.

—

Andrei Svechnikov takes his turn, comes in slowly, fakes a deke and scores on the forehand.

Chinakhov gets his chance to answer, he gets Andersen to sprawl and has the whole net open but misses wide.

—

Jackson Blake leads Round 3, he takes a quick low shot that hits its mark.

It’s up to Mantha to keep the game alive, his backhand move is stopped. Pens fall in the shootout

Some thoughts​

• Liked the way Soderblom played tonight, he had three shots on goal in the first period alone. Aside from just his big frame, he’s standing out by being able to get things going for a team that was getting piled on early. Then Soderblom sent a shot off the post in the second period. It looks like he’s close.
• In general, Soderblom with Ben Kindel and Avery Hayes was the best line of the night for Pittsburgh. They were able to turn the tide as much as any line the Pens had.
• Mantha’s career-high in goals in a season is 25. He just got his 24th tonight. What a story he’s been, his first period goal meant he had three of the last four goals from the whole team. The Pens badly needed someone to step up without 87 and 71, Mantha has certainly done his part to answer the call. It’s not like he wasn’t scoring earlier, it is standing out a little more now that he’s the leading scorer in the lineup and still able to keep it going.
• Another player to shine has been Chinakhov, though given his play over the past few weeks and months it’s more about simply continuing to play well than elevate. Even without the puck with his speed and tenacity he’s a player out there making a lot of good things happen. For having a great shot and good wheels, he’s not just a perimeter player, he’ll go hunt pucks and is willing to lean in physically when he has to.
• And, of course, Rust put his impact on this game by scoring the game-tying goal and basically scoring the goal a minute prior by having the shot hit Acciari in front. Have to have the best players step up in moments like that, the comeback revealed the not unexpected character of a guy like Rust to come through in crunch time.
• After getting four power plays in the first half of the game, the Pens really had to get something out of it. That wasn’t looking promising for a while, they got some good luck when a Carolina player broke his stick then took advantage of it to the fullest to exploit that weakness to create a goal scoring opportunity for Rust, which he cashed in. Well done there and given all the chances that they had they really needed it. Given how the rest of the game went, it wasn’t enough.
• Skinner did really well against Carolina back in December, and did well in this game too until the dam broke. Between his size, calmness and ability to track the puck he was handling it well. Some bad bounces and defenders couldn’t handle the pressure eventually. Even at the end of the game, Skinner robbed a player right in front on a great save with 3 or 4 minutes left. Looked like nothing important in the moment but it held the door open to steal a point. Shame he ended up conceding four goals, it was an admirable effort in net. By any account, the Pens didn’t deserve a result in this one, their goalie is a big reason they got one.
• Interesting the Pens went with Solovyov and Clifton as 2/3 of their 3v5 PK group coming out of a timeout. They didn’t have much choice given that Shea and Wotherspoon were both in the penalty box, but limited players against superior numbers weren’t enough of a match in that situation.
• Carolina did a very good job of selling calls in the third period. Little hooks and tugs at the body created some falls and throwing the body back. It was a level just below full out dives, and probably smart too. From the crowd to the coach, everyone was on the ref’s cases for all the early Penguin power plays. The Hurricane players made sure that would even back up.
• Sad state of affairs: needing to use Noel Acciari in a 6v5 situation. Funny state of affairs: Acciari is credited with a goal that hits him in front of the net.
• Sad state of affairs with no bright side: the Penguins in the shootout. Today was a cruel twist since they got a save at first (rare!) and then scored a goal themselves to start (even more rare!)…And then it all went down the drain. More awful stuff there. Looking back, that 4v3 powerplay in OT was the true chance to earn the win, that missed opportunity stings a lot too. The best way to not lose in a shootout is to end the game before it and they really gotta make that count.
• On the bright side though, after totally getting swamped in the first 17-18 minutes of the third period, the Pens showed a lot of moxie to comeback with two late desperation goals and earn something out of what looked like a lost cause. Very important stuff, especially since they’ll play this Carolina team two more times in the next two weeks.

The road trip rolls on with only a quick stop in Vegas before Thursday night’s game.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/game-reca...c-comeback-but-cant-master-shootout-yet-again

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins show resiliency in performances without Crosby and Malkin

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on March 10, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins have managed a 3-2-3 record since the Olympic break without Sidney Crosby. That might not sound like much, but in the NHL’s point system that level of play (.563%) will keep them afloat for now until their captain returns. That might be happening soon since Crosby took part in the morning skate yesterday and is now starting the fourth week from the time of his injury.

Their comebacks lately, both complete and incomplete, have been something to marvel about. On Sunday, the Boston Bruins were leading the Penguins 3-0 in the second period, Pittsburgh would rally back for a 5-4 overtime win. Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes swamped the Pens in the third period to hold a 4-2 lead in the third period, the Pens rallied to tie before dropping the shootout decision. Avoiding regulation losses is the name of the game when it comes to the NHL standings, the Pens have managed to find a way in that department through resiliency and a force of will.

“We’re a resilient team,” Stuart Skinner said after last night’s game. “We’ve got guys in here who will do whatever it takes to win games and to get a point. We’re in March now, against a team that’s really hard to beat in their building. The fact that we came back on them is impressive to say the least.”

Skinner’s contribution might have been the most impressive. He made this save with 3:14 to go, in a 4-2 loss. Shots in the third period were 14-2 Carolina at that point, which speaks to the magnitude of how unlikely any potential positive result was looking with so little time remaining.

STUART SKINNER FLASHES THE LEATHER!

What a save! pic.twitter.com/FmLzcoRiiU

— NHL (@NHL) March 11, 2026

Between the setup and shot, it was a tremendous save that kept the Penguins in the game, even if it didn’t look it at the time. It was a good enough effort to deserve to become a game-changing moment, and somehow it ended up becoming relevant. Pittsburgh would score two goals in the final 2:08 of regulation to pick up a point that it looked like for much of the third period would not even be a possibility.

“We certainly don’t give up in this room,” Bryan Rust said. “It says a lot about the guys in here.”

Rust, of course, would know, because he’s forefront at the players that fueled the comeback by shooting a puck that deflected off Noel Acciari for the Pens’ third goal. Rust would go onto score the last minute goal to force overtime and etch another small chapter in his Penguin lore for coming through in the clutch. Creating a couple of regular season goals aren’t as magnificent as Game 7 goals by circumstance, yet Rust’s late performance was no less heroic.

The Penguins have some areas to clean up, especially defensively where they’ve allowed 16 goals over the past four games (with two more tacked on for shootout losses). The shootout itself continues to be an abject disaster now with a 1-10 record and inability to both score goals and keep the puck out of the net.

The pluses have outweighed the negatives, given the circumstance of playing without Crosby in this stretch and having Evgeni Malkin out on suspension. Rust (4G+5A) and Erik Karlsson (2G+6A) both have nine points in the eight games. Budding star Egor Chinakhov (3G+4A) has seven points. Anthony Mantha has four goals and six points. Usually Rust, Chinakhov and Mantha have played on three separate lines, adding a touch of balance that belies the lack of on-paper depth the team shows right now. They keep scrapping and finding ways, like Skinner did with his 39 saves last night, capped by the huge stop towards the end.

“Huge credit to those guys,” Skinner said. “We battled hard all night. You could tell that it was a division game, and a huge point for us. This group should be very proud.”

The road rolls on, the Pens are in Vegas tomorrow night to meet a Golden Knight team that has now lost three-straight games. Malkin will be unavailable and there’s no certainty that Crosby will be playing. That hasn’t much affected a resilient, proud group that keeps on showing mettle by carving out impressive performances without their two leading scorers.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/analysis/...ncy-in-performances-without-crosby-and-malkin

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pens Points: A gutsy comeback falls short in the shootout

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins fight during the second period of the game at Lenovo Center on March 10, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…​

The Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday night for a Metropolitan Division battle against the Carolina Hurricanes. Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead into the third period, then Carolina roared back to take a 4-2 lead. Pittsburgh scored two goals in a frantic, gutsy comeback to force overtime, but dropped the shootout yet again. [Recap]

The Penguins should give defensemen Samuel Girard and Ilya Solovyov an extended look to see if their styles can mesh and stabilize the team’s otherwise inconsistent blue line. [PensBurgh]

The team received a few positive and negative injury reports from Tuesday morning’s practice. Most notably, Sidney Crosby took the ice once again, although skating on a separate pairing with the currently suspended Evgeni Malkin, meaning he is close but not 100% ready to return to game action. [PensBurgh]

How inconsistent is the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after Evgeni Malkin received a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, while Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel was only fined for also attacking the defenseman? Malkin undoubtedly deserved the suspension, but how does Hagel get off with a lesser punishment while Malkin sits for five games? [Trib Live]

News and updates from around the NHL…​

Washington Capitals and NHL icon Alex Ovechkin said his decision on when to retire will depend largely on his health and how his body holds up as he continues playing at or past 40. He said he still loves the game, but wants to avoid long-term injuries that could affect life after hockey. [Sportsnet]

Former Penguins netminder and current Seattle Kraken Matt Murray, 31, has been activated from injured reserve. He had been out of action since Nov. 15. [TSN]

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/news/7382...in-crosby-nhl-ovechkin-retirement-matt-murray

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Random Penguins thoughts: Kris Letang, depth, and more

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 30: Noel Acciari #55 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 30, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Just sharing some random thoughts as the Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip and their push for a spot in the 2025-26 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1. The Kris Letang situation​

Kris Letang is one of the giants in the history of the Penguins franchise. He has had the best career with the Penguins of any defenseman that has ever played for the team. His name is on the Stanley Cup three times, with him scoring the Cup-clinching goal in one of those championships. He has been a pleasure to watch for years and has been a major part of their core for two decades. It is hard to pile on him. He is one of the players that will always (and should always) be held in the highest of regard around here. He is an all-time great Penguin. It is also hard not to pile on him at this point given the way his play has rapidly regressed.

It just seems like over the past few weeks, no matter who has been paired with, no matter what situation he has been put into, or no matter who he is playing against, that negative things are happening for the Penguins when he is on the ice.

The numbers support that position.

Over the Penguins past 10 games they have allowed a total of 28 goals.

Letang has been on the ice for 14 of those goals, which are two more than any other player on the team during that stretch.

Letang himself has only played in eight of those games.

During 5-on-5 play over that stretch their expected goals share with him on the ice is down to only 44.6 percent, while they have been outscored 4-8 with him on the ice. Without him on the ice during that stretch they are outscoring teams 17-9 with a 54.2 percent expected goals share. What is perhaps most concerning about that is he is getting heavy offensive zone starts (more than 55 percent of his shifts have started in the offensive zone) and he is still losing ground and getting scored on. It also does not matter what grouping of forwards or what defensemen he is getting paired with. All of the combinations are playing worse. It has been especially bad with Ben Kindel.

The combination of the Kindel line and the Letang defense pairing has been outscored 0-7 the past 10 games with a 38 percent expected goal share. Kindel’s line without the Letang pairing is outscoring teams 6-1 with a 51.3 percent expected goals share.

(In Letang’s defense, his pairing has also been better away from the Kindel line with a 4-1 goals advantage and a 49 percent expected goal share, so for whatever reason that combination of players is simply not clicking right now.)

Is he still dealing with the effects of the injury that sidelined him before the Olympic break? Is it just a bad slump? Has father time finally caught up to him? Has he failed to adjust to that? Is it all of the above?

It is probably all of the above.

Whatever the case, it is becoming a big problem for the Penguins and one they are going to have to figure out. They do not really have many other legitimate options as an alternative.

2. The Penguins are doing everything they can without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin​

You need some sort of top-tier talent to win in the NHL. But that top-tier talent alone is not enough. You always need help and quality depth around them, and one of the things I always look for when trying to determine the top contenders in a given season is what they are doing when their best players are not on the ice. There is always going to come a stretch in a season, and especially in the playoffs, when your best players, no matter how good they are, are not scoring goals. You are going to need somebody else to step up in that place and provide some scoring and being able to tilt the ice.

The Penguins have been fairly good at that for most of the 2025-26 season, but the past few games have been a major test for it with Sidney Crosby still dealing with his Olympic injury and Evgeni Malkin being suspended.

They have played eight games so far without Crosby.

They have played three games without both of them.

In the first eight games post-Olympic break the Penguins are 3-2-3 and have earned nine out of a possible 16 points. That is acceptable. More than acceptable.

In the first three games without both of them, they are 1-0-2 and earned four out of a possible six points. More than acceptable.

You can quibble about this and say “well, they are still losing games in shootouts and giving away points.” But, for me, it is hard to complain about lost points when you are literally playing without your two best players. Points are points, and as long as the NHL’s point system and standings are set up the way they are, this is what the system looks like and what every other team in the league is playing under. You can not really get caught up in looking at each individual game as its own universe. You need to look at these games in larger groups and look at them through a bigger picture. I said coming out of the break the Penguins needed to just play .500 or better hockey until Crosby gets back. They just needed to find a way to scratch out some points until both he and Malkin get back.

They are doing it.

It becomes even more important when you also subtract Justin Brazeau and new addition Sam Girard from the lineup due to their recent injuries.

It also continues what has been a strong showing by the Penguins when neither player is on the ice, whether due to injury, suspension or just sitting on the bench when their lines are off the ice.

Entering play on Thursday, the Penguins have played 1,702 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey with neither Crosby or Malkin on the ice. They are outscoring their opponents in those minutes 67-66, have a 52.5 percent shot attempt share, a 53.7 percent scoring chance share, a 54.1 percent high-danger scoring chance share and a 53.5 percent expected goals share.

They are tilting the ice without them. They are outplaying teams. It is a testament to how good Ben Kindel has been in helping to run the third line no matter who is playing around him, and also a testament to how good and consistent the fourth line has been.

None of those numbers were that good a year ago. Or the year before. This is one of the more surprising developments of this season. Also one of the most important.

3. Egor Chinakhov has been the Penguins best player this week​

There is really nothing else to say at this point, but this guy rocks. There have been a lot of players to step up recently, but nobody has stepped up more than Egor Chinakhov. He has been the Penguins’ best player since the start of the weekend. In the past three games he has five total points, completely changed the game against the Boston Bruins with his power play goal, and then made the play in overtime to earn possession of the puck to help set up Tommy Novak’s game-winning goal.

The shot and goal-scoring get all of the attention and what everybody always talks about. He is a strong playmaker. He is lightning quick. He is a far better and more aggressive defensive player than he was advertised to be. He just simply looks like a player. What a find. What a trade. What a player.

4. Elmer Soderblom’s first impression​

It is still a very early and very small sample size for the Penguins’ only trade deadline addition, Elmder Soderblom, but he has been a mostly positive presence. The first impression so far is that despite his massive size he seems like more of a skill player than a power, physical player, but there is absolutely some skill there. He has had several quality looks, and even rang a shot off the post. Not every trade for a talented player that has yet to put it together is going to pan out the way the Chinakhov trade has. It is still okay to take the swings and see what happens.

Soderblom probably does not have a spot when everybody is healthy and back in the lineup, but for now he has been a positive addition. You only get one first impression. This is a good one for him.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/analysis/73898/random-penguins-thoughts-kris-letang-depth-and-more