Skating Penguin Podcast: A Pittsburgh Penguins podcast

This week, we’re talking about the declining play of Brian Dumoulin. Typically a reliable, stay-at-home yin to Kris Letang’s offensive, risk-taking yang, the shutdown defenseman has been in a very noticeable rut. The 30-year-old seems to have lost some of his mobility while making some questionable decisions in his own zone.  Could this be a case of Dumoulin playing through some sort of nagging in...

This week, the PensBurgh Podcast is ready to break the emergency glass and start panicking. Or are they? Yes, it’s true the Pittsburgh Penguins have come up short in recent weeks against the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, and their probable first-round opponents, the New York Rangers. But even if they’re not getting the two points in the standings, does that mean Pittsburgh is doomed when the St...

It’s a simple question, even if the discussion is a bit premature at the moment. This week on the podcast, Garrett and Robbie are talking about the newest Pittsburgh Penguins player, Rickard Rakell, and whether or not it would be a wise move to re-sign the winger to a long-term contract. Rakell is one year younger than Bryan Rust, a winger whose contract is also expiring at season’s end. With news...

This week, we’re talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2022 NHL trade deadline. Robbie and Garrett discuss whether or not the Penguins “won” their deadline day with the acquisition of forward Rickard Rakell. Also of note was that GM Ron Hextall was able to keep all of his top prospects and his 2022 first-round draft pick. We’re handing out grades to Hextall and co. for their efforts. The m...

Mike Sullivan is finally experimenting with different line combinations and defensive pairings. Mike Matheson with Kris Letang. Evan Rodrigues was on the top line. Bryan Rust was on the right side of Evgeni Malkin. Mark Friedman has become an unexpected surprise. With all this experimentation, Robbie and Garrett are back this week to discuss which move could be the most beneficial for the Pittsbur...

Rumors continue to swirl regarding the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks being trade partners ahead of the March 21 trading deadline. New reports suggest Evan Rodrigues and John Marino could be included in a package to acquire 25-year-old forward, Brock Boeser. Given these persistent rumors, the Jim Rutherford/Patrick Allvin connection, and the fact that we’re just about 10 days out fr...

This week’s PensBurgh Podcast previews what is, perhaps, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ toughest stretch of games all season. Between March 3 and March 17, Pittsburgh will do battle against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, the St. Louis Blues, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Nashville Predators, and will play their divisional rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes, twice. Mike Sullivan recently sto...

Is it panic button time? Are these Penguins pretenders? Do they just beat the “bad teams”? Our own Gretz wrote about this very topic earlier in the week and it got me thinking. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe outlined the rest of the schedule for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it’s not pretty, to say the least. We will learn a lot about this group over the next month or so. To their credit, the Penguins do...

This week on the PensBurgh Podcast, we’re talking about the big man, Brian Boyle. Brian Boyle has proved quite a few naysayers wrong this year. While his stats aren’t eye-popping at 37 years old, he has become a fairly integral component to the bottom-six, especially now that Teddy Blueger is injured. Assuming everyone is healthy come playoff time (and that’s a big if), would you continue to deplo...

This week on the PensBurgh Podcast, Robbie and I are recapping the lone contest against the Boston Bruins, admiring Sidney Crosby’s greatness, and answering a few mailbag questions. As Sidney Crosby nears career goal #500, we thought it was only right to look back at some of our favorite regular season goals from #87. The mailbag this week sees us talk about the hardest shot contest between some l...

Kasperi Kapanen continues to draw the ire of Penguins fans, and potentially even more so, his coaching staff. His poor play and lack of consistency have been on display since the season’s start. Nine goals and 24 points in 45 games isn’t terrible, but many are expecting more, especially in the goals department. Mike Sullivan may be sending a message to Kapanen and perhaps even GM Ron Hextall throu...

We have quite a bit of news to discuss on this week’s episode of the PensBurgh Podcast. In negative news, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to anger the Hockey Gods, as the team has lost another player to injury. Jason Zucker will be out for an undetermined amount of time to recover from core muscle surgery. Robbie and I throw our guesses into the ring to see who should slot alongside Evgeni Malkin...

We recap the Penguins’ games against LAK (6-2 L), SJ (2-1 OTW), VGK (5-3 W) This week, Robbie and I are focusing specifically on Jason Zucker. The forward has recently returned after missing seven games, and was credited with two goals in his return game against the Vegas Golden Knights. I think it’s safe to say the Zucker experiment hasn’t worked out for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 43 points in 84 g...

This week’s PensBurgh Podcast focuses on the one thing that can (and often times will) win you a championship: depth. As the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 10-game win streak recently came to an end and Evgeni Malkin made his triumphant season debut, Robbie and Garrett sat down to discuss the depth of this Penguins team, and if this team’s contributions are akin to the championship-winning squads of 2016 an...

It’s the first PensBurgh Podcast of 2022. The COVID surges have cooled (for now), and the Pittsburgh Penguins are back to playing hockey. We have a few game recaps on tap, as the Penguins have extended their win streak to nine straight games at the time of this writing. And they have gone on this great run without the services of one, Evgeni Malkin. This week, Robbie and I are here to talk about t...

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a player was stirring, not even a ... I can’t think of anything Penguins related to finish the rhyme. Anyway, the PensBurgh Podcast is back this week, delivered to you on Christmas Eve. You can listen to Robbie and I as we share our thoughts on the latest Pittsburgh Penguins news. Surely, that has to be more entertaining than listen...

An early Christmas gift has hit your stockings. In this week’s edition of the PensBurgh Podcast, Robbie and Garrett: Recap the Pittsburgh Penguins’ games against the Seattle Kraken (6-1 W), the Washington Capitals (4-2 W), the Anaheim Ducks (1-0 W), and the Montreal Canadiens (5-2 W). And since our last episode, the Penguins have really turned their play around. They sit at 15-8-5, going 7-2-1 in...

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. The PensBurgh Podcast returns to your podcast libraries this week, and not a moment too soon. This week, Robbie and I are discussing two main talking points: the first being the massive slump the Pittsburgh Penguins have experienced in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh is 2-6-2 in their last 10 (before the latest game against the Montreal Canadiens went...

In the span of seven days, since the last PensBurgh Podcast episode, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been involved with quite a few headlines—almost none of which have to do with the game of hockey itself. Sidney Crosby made his long-awaited, triumphant return to the Penguins lineup... only to play one game and be forced out due to a positive COVID-19 test. Head coach Mike Sullivan has also entered t...

It’s true, it’s damn true: the PensBurgh Podcast guest chair is filled once again. Brett Detar, lead singer of Pittsburgh’s own The Juliana Theory, joins the podcast to discuss a wide array of topics. This week, Brett, Garrett, and Robbie sat down to discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brett also took the time to answer some of...

Now we’re cooking with gas. After the pomp and ceremony of the first game of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins have since played three more contests since last week’s podcast. Time to jump to conclusions! Currently, Pittsburgh sits at a 2-0-2 record, grabbing six out of possible eight points without the services of both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Had you tol...

The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their 2021-22 campaign with a resounding victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. While missing key offensive cogs such as Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Evgeni Malkin, Mike Sullivan and his band of flightless birds played a thorough and systematic game to down their opponents. A 6-2 win in game one of 82 is a good start, but...

The preseason is almost over. Huzzah. With that said, the Pittsburgh Penguins are inching closer to finalizing their roster ahead of Game #1 the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 12. This week’s PensBurgh Podcast sees Robbie and I recap the last three preseason contests. In addition to the game recaps, we’re both looking at which players have risen and fallen based on their preseason performances. Da...

You’ve made it through another off-season without hockey. And while the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t capture the Stanley Cup in 2021, the optimism of a new season has dragged you back in to watch your favorite flightless birds. While all of us here at PensBurgh are getting ready to give you that good #content you’ve come to expect, the PensBurgh Podcast is back for all you podcast listeners. Whether...

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season has come to another abrupt end. Losing to the New York Islanders in six games while largely playing the better hockey over the course of the series is sure to sting for some time. But the team has to move forward. While another season has come and gone with no championship for Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang, that doesn't mean it was a complete failure...