The Penguins and Leafs are both having a tough season. For the Leafs, this is nothing new. For the Penguins, it’s very new territory. What’s so interesting is they kind of have inverse problems. Toronto is weak down the middle, with strong wingers but no dominant center. The Penguins are strong down the middle, but [...]
Damien Cox has an interesting item on Ilya Kovalchuk’s struggles in New Jersey. He blames Kovalchuk’s time spent on his off wing. That’s not what’s so interesting. Most people picked up that Kovalchuk wasn’t comfortable playing right wing for the Devils. But Cox traces the origins of the off wing experiment to Devils assistant coach [...]
Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau isn’t scared to put all of his top guys on one line. He liked the way Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin looked against Calgary Saturday, so he’s looking to keep the three together. Most coaches try and break up their best players, just to make matching a little tougher. [...]
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote “There are no second acts in American lives,” which makes it especially vindicating that goalie Brent Johnson, an American playing a Canadian game, seems to be in the throes of a genuine second act. Johnson, signed as a backup by the Penguins last year and given a two-year extension last [...]
We’ve all wandered around an arena or stadium, imagining what we would change if we had the chance. Maybe it’s something as simple as the colors. Maybe it’s the bathroom location. Or maybe it’s the sight lines. Part of being a sports fan means feeling invested in where you watch the sport. I remember spending [...]
The Penguins have had a tougher preseason than the rest of the NHL. In addition to doing the usual preseason stuff, the Penguins have also had to get used to their new arena, Consol Energy Center. The Penguins have gone from playing in the Igloo, which was built in 1961, to an arena that’s now [...]
It’s tough being an older guy in the NHL. Or not in the NHL. Owen Nolan, 38, is still waiting for a team to make him an offer. Bill Guerin, almost 40, is skating with the Flyers, although the Flyers aren’t interested in him. Jonathan Cheechoo, only 30, will report to Stars’ training camp on [...]
It’s never fair to lay a team’s fortunes at the feet of their goalie since while the goalie is an important position, a lot of factors go into wins and losses. For instance, Pittsburgh couldn’t get past Montreal, last night and in the series, for a few reasons. Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak was super hot. [...]
Last night’s Bruins-Penguins was a great example of the need to get rid of the instigator rule. The Bruins looked completed depleted, both physically and emotionally, battling both the flu and the need to avenge Matt Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard. The Bruins chose to spend their energy avenging Savard and wound up losing 3-0. [...]
Not to be a jerk about the Olympics, but what exactly is the NHL thinking? The Penguins are obviously already gassed from their successful Stanley Cup run. They beat Atlanta last night, but had dropped their previous five. And now, instead of just focusing on making it to the All-Star break, they’re going to send [...]
