Skating Penguin Podcast: A Pittsburgh Penguins podcast

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost nine straight games against Metropolitan Division opponents. Why are the Penguins losing so many games against familiar teams? Their only saving grace right now might be the fact that they have five games in hand on the Islanders (67 points). This week’s mailbag features 12 questions focusing on hypothetical lineup changes, having Sidney Crosby on the penalty kill...

It has been reported that Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry allegedly has a chronic hip injury that may be attributed to his recent injury woes. We’ve already talked a good amount about the health of several key players this season, Jarry included. This has to weigh heavily on potential contract negotiations this summer. This summer’s free-agent goalie market is not particularly strong...

The Pittsburgh Penguins robbed the defending Stanley Cup champions of two points on Tuesday night, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in overtime. With only one game under the Penguins’ belts since their return, Robbie and Garrett don’t spend too much time overanalyzing the contest between the two clubs. However, in its place is a 16-question mailbag, the largest mailbag in podcast history, to k...

The Pittsburgh Penguins remain out of action as we roll toward the NHL All-Star Game this weekend. With the Penguins not shooting a black, round disc into a net for the foreseeable future, this week’s PensBurgh Podcast episode is devoted to the mailbag segment. Nine questions create this week’s mailbag-centric show. Robbie and Garrett are asked about Ron Hextall’s job security, what a hypothetical...

Goaltending injuries have plagued the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tristan Jarry, once again. Jarry was a surprise late scratch against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. It was later revealed via Mike Sullivan that Jarry suffered an upper-body injury. He will miss at least the next two games. Casey DeSmith came in as the starter and allowed six goals on 39 shots. Spicy pork and broccoli was a fun story...

Consistently inconsistent is a term I’ve seen thrown around when talking about the 2022-23 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, as of Jan. 19, have a 40.7% chance to make the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck. This is typically not a conversation we’re having with a Sidney Crosby-led team. Following an ugly, perhaps undeserved, overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks, and an OT loss against the Ottawa...

Let’s talk about Jason Zucker. Zucker’s dynamic, rugged presence in the top six has elevated the group even more. He appears to be healthy and, in turn, is producing as one of the team’s top forwards (10 goals, 26 points, +4 in 36 GP). With this production, given his current $5.5 million cap hit on an expiring contract, and the overall lack of depth on this team, should the Penguins think about ex...

2023 is here, and so is the PensBurgh Podcast. Refreshed and ready to talk more hockey, Garrett and Robbie are here to break down the latest Pittsburgh Penguins action. Goalie Tristan Jarry suffered an injury in the Winter Classic. His ailment forced Casey DeSmith to enter in relief. Since then, Dustin Tokarski has been recalled from the WB/S Penguins. To avoid beating a dead horse this week a la...

You are Ron Hextall in this scenario. The Pittsburgh Penguins have turned their season around after a less-than-stellar start. You have your eyes set on competing for a championship. How do you go about fixing the third line? Internal change (like a roster call-up or promotion/demotion such as Teddy Blueger as 3C, Jeff Carter as 4C)? Or do you have your eyes set on a player(s) that could be brough...

It wouldn’t be a regular Pittsburgh Penguins season without the injury bug rearing its ugly head. Defenseman Jeff Petry has landed on LTIR, and Jason Zucker has been labeled “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. Two key contributors are immediately out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. Given the Penguins’ recent run of form, how well do you like Pittsburgh’s chances to continue their wi...

After receiving deserved scrutiny, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play looks to finally be clicking. A personnel change, bringing a right-handed shot in Rickard Rakell has seemingly sparked the team with the man advantage. In addition, the Penguins have taken more of an effort to screen the goalie, especially with Sidney Crosby down near, or in front of the goalie. We discuss the promising changes...

We were going to spend the bulk of the first segment talking about what the Pittsburgh Penguins have looked like since our last episode, but now we’ll shift focus to a much more serious topic—Kris Letang’s second stroke since 2014. Props to Letang for reporting his symptoms and knowing his body well enough to not push it past its limit. With Letang out indefinitely, how does that change the defens...

The Pittsburgh Penguins remain an underwhelming hockey team. Pittsburgh is 2-6-2 in their last 10 games played, losers of two straight at the time of recording, and the entire vibe of this team feels off. For the last month or so, Robbie and Garrett have taken rather negative tones towards the Penguins, their on-ice results, lack of effective depth, shoddy goaltending, and more. This week, while t...

While the Pittsburgh Penguins’ bottom six remains a definite work in progress, it appears Mike Sullivan listens to this very podcast, as he has made some long-awaited changes to his defensive pairings. Marcus Pettersson has been promoted to the top pair, P.O Joseph has moved into the top four alongside Jeff Petry, and Brian Dumoulin was demoted to the third pair to play with Jan Rutta. A 60-minute...

These Pittsburgh Penguins are in something of a tailspin. Losers of six straight games after such a hot start make that start feeling like a distant memory. Many others in the online portion of the fanbase may be overreacting to an October-November slump, but history shows if you’re out of the playoff picture by American Thanksgiving, your chances of getting into a playoff spot in the second half...

The Pittsburgh Penguins sit at 4-2-1, still a very respectable record to begin the season. All their losses have come in Canada (Montreal, Edmonton, and most recently, Calgary). While the Canada thing is just a coincidence, the level of opposition has been challenging—the Oilers and Flames are no slouches given their offensive talent. Robbie and Garrett return this week to address their concerns w...

Well, folks, we can finally talk about real, meaningful hockey games. And that’s exactly what we’re doing on this week’s PensBurgh Podcast. As of this recording, the Penguins have played three games, own a 2-0-1 record, and have looked very strong out of the gate. But it’s important to not jump to too many conclusions through such a small sample size. Both Sidney Crosby (two goals, six points in t...

Regular-season hockey is back, baby. The Pittsburgh Penguins began the 2022-23 campaign last night against the Arizona Coyotes. This week’s episode of the PensBurgh Podcast was recorded before the puck was dropped, but some timely nuggets of information are still sprinkled into the show. Robbie and Garrett previewed the Arizona game and looked ahead to the Penguins’ next matchup against the Tampa...

The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their quest for a sixth Stanley Cup in six days when the Arizona Coyotes come to Pittsburgh to start the 2022-23 season. We here at PensBurgh are shaking off the rust, too, and the PensBurgh Podcast is back for another season of auditory analysis. In this season preview episode, Robbie and Garrett have something of a surface-level discussion about the Pittsburgh...

Since the last PensBurgh Podcast episode hit your ears, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offseason saga has been entertaining, to say the least. Given the developments of recent days, Garrett and Robbie are reconvening for a special offseason edition of the show. This week on the show, we are talking about the significant contract extensions. The band is back together for one final ride. Evgeni Malkin, Kr...

This is it, folks. The final PensBurgh Podcast of the 2021-22 season. Robbie and Garrett sit down to share their thoughts on the conclusion of the first-round series against the New York Rangers. In addition, they also look toward the future. Both hosts discuss the impending free agents, how likely it is some return, and whether or not some new faces (or old friends) could be added. A discussion i...

Oh, how the tables can turn. This week, Robbie and Garrett return to give their thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins through Game 5 of their first-round series against the New York Rangers. And, of course, the biggest topic on everyone’s mind is the health and status of captain, Sidney Crosby. Robbie and Garrett analyze the real possibility of Crosby missing action, and whether or not the Penguins...

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers definitely got that message. Tuesday night’s triple overtime classic featured so many twists and turns, it’s useless to list them all here. Igor Sheshterkin making 79 saves, Casey DeSmith leaving the game during sudden-death play, Louis Domingue’s improbable journey to hero, and so much more. This week’s m...

Who are the real Pittsburgh Penguins? Are they the team that shut out a playoff-bound Boston Bruins side and trounced the lowly Detroit Red Wings? Or are they the team that looked uninspired and slow against their fiercest rival in the Philadelphia Flyers and the rising Edmonton Oilers? Is there a happy medium somewhere to be found here? The Penguins are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games played, not a...

This week, we’re talking about the real possibility of Casey DeSmith playing as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ number one netminder come the first week of May when the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. Tristan Jarry’s status is undetermined at the time of recording, with Mike Sullivan labeling Jarry as ‘week-to-week’ with an apparent foot injury. If Jarry isn’t able to suit up for Game 1, how much confid...