PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t expect the sting from their second-round playoff exit to fade anytime soon. They also don’t expect it to compel general manager Jim Rutherford to give the roster a thorough makeover after the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions’ bid for ...
By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press Anyone who has played with Marc-Andre Fleury can tell he’s dialed in by watching his mannerisms. Last year, he rubbed the shaft of his stick after making a save with it on Alex Ovechkin. This year, he continued a career-long tradition of rubbing the ...
PITTSBURGH — It’s over. No Stanley Cup, no parade, no special T-shirts. The Penguins were bounced from the playoffs in the second round after two consecutive championship seasons. And, no, this is not similar to what happened in 1993, when the Penguins were eliminated by the New York ...
PITTSBURGH — The Washington Capitals kept trying to downplay their own forgettable playoff history, the one pockmarked with disappointment and despair. Still, they couldn’t run from it. No one bore the weight more than Alex Ovechkin. All the goals in the world — and the star forward is ...
PITTSBURGH — A cathartic celebration 20 years in the making began with a poke of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s stick. It built as the puck that Kuznetsov tapped away from Sidney Crosby made its way to Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Ovechkin. It neared its crescendo as Ovechkin flipped it ...
The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — The Washington Capitals don’t need a history lesson. Neither do the Winnipeg Jets for that matter. The Capitals are well aware of their penchant for letting opportunity after opportunity slip away, frequently at the hands of Sidney Crosby and the ...
By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Jakub Vrana came to the rink expecting to play on the Capitals’ third line again. He left as a top-liner on top of the world. Vrana made the most of his promotion to the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, setting ...
PITTSBURGH — Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals still has one game remaining on his well-deserved suspension from the NHL. He earned it with a vicious hit that broke Zach Aston-Reese’s jaw. The video doesn’t lie. When Wilson aimed his shoulder at Aston-Reese’s head and collided ...
The Associated Press Now that Mike Sullivan and Barry Trotz have matched wits in a playoff series for three consecutive years, they harbor very few secrets. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals know each other inside-out from 17 postseason games since 2016. The coaches are very ...
On the ice Tonight: Idle Next up: Pittsburgh at Washington, Saturday, 7 p.m. Best-of-7 series: Series tied at 2-2 TV: NBC By Will Graves The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Mike Sullivan knows his team is “wired” for offense, as tends to happen when you have Sidney Crosby, ...
By Will Graves The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have spent their entire careers chasing the Pittsburgh Penguins and shouldering their own franchise’s onerous history of playoff failures. One brilliant end-to-end rush gave the two Washington ...
WASHINGTON — A person with direct knowledge of the decision says there will not be a disciplinary hearing for Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson for his hit to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of ...
WASHINGTON — Braden Holtby spun around and saw the puck on the goal line. Maybe it was in. Maybe it wasn’t. But after mounting another two-goal lead and this time building on it instead of blowing it, the Washington Capitals made sure it wasn’t close enough for one questionable call ...
By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press The road back to the Stanley Cup Final took two very different turns for the Penguins and Predators at the start of the second round. Back-to-back defending champion Pittsburgh roared back from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat the Washington ...
WASHINGTON — After the Capitals scored early, the Penguins scored often to stun their rivals with yet another comeback. Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help Pittsburgh erase a two-goal deficit in the third period and the Penguins beat Washington ...
By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press ARLINGTON, Va. — Like tourists flocking to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Pittsburgh Penguins making a trip to Washington in the playoffs has become a rite of spring. The Penguins and Capitals will face off in the second round for the ...
On the ice Who: Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals Game 1: Thursday, 7 p.m. TV: TBA Radio: ESPN 1430 WVAM By Will Graves The Associated Press CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP — Sidney Crosby has faced the Washington Capitals three times in the playoffs. All three times the Pittsburgh ...
PHILADELPHIA — Sidney Crosby tormented the Flyers just as he has from the start of his NHL career. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin were clutch when needed in pivotal games. And Matt Murray? Oh, just two shutouts and the type of outings that show more zeros on the board are possible in the ...
By Dan Gelston The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Jake Guentzel dropped to his right knee and slid on the ice in celebration, not only for his second career postseason hat trick, but for the goal that assured Pittsburgh was moving on in the playoffs. He has established his playoff ...
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth faces a lot of pressure today with his team down 3-2 heading home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He stopped 30 shots in Game 5 to help the Flyers extend that series. “I’ve been practicing well and feeling good about my game,” said Neuvirth, ...