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The Pittsburgh Penguins’ top line exploded in a 9-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night

Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens

The line of Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Sidney Crosby was dominant in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 9-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Rust scored three goals and had one assist, Rakell added two goals and two assists, and Crosby collected three assists.

Defenseman Kris Letang contributed a goal and an assist, while Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Nieto, and Noel Acciari also scored for Pittsburgh. Matt Grzelcyk had two assists, and Tristan Jarry made 21 saves.

Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia scored for Montreal. Sam Montembeault allowed six goals on 26 shots before being replaced by Cayden Primeau, who gave up three goals on seven shots.

Rust scored twice in 3:24 during the second period, giving the Penguins a 3-1 lead. His first goal came at 10:03 when he skated across the crease and slid the puck past Montembeault. His second goal came at 13:27, after a no-look pass from Rakell, which Rust tipped in.

Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)

Armia made it 3-2 with a slap shot from the left faceoff dot with 5:24 left in the second period.

In the third period, Pittsburgh exploded for six goals. Rakell scored his second goal at 4:40, tipping in Rust’s pass to make it 4-2. Letang added a power-play goal at 7:42, followed by Beauvillier’s goal just 59 seconds later. Rust completed his hat trick with an unassisted goal at 8:04. Nieto and Acciari rounded out the scoring, with Nieto scoring his first goal since November 4, 2023.

Suzuki opened the scoring early, netting his 11th goal 2:12 into the game. Rakell tied it at 4:18 in the first period with a power-play goal.

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NBA (Basketball)

Penguins and Canadiens heading in different directions before their upcoming game

Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens are both near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings but seem to be going in different directions as they prepare to play in Montreal on Thursday.

The Penguins have lost two of their last three games, while the Canadiens have won three out of their last four.

Pittsburgh’s most recent game was a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at home on Tuesday night.

“I didn’t think we were as stiff on the puck,” said Penguins’ coach Mike Sullivan. “I thought we hung onto pucks more in the offensive zone. I thought we could’ve controlled territory a little bit more and forced them to have to defend us a little bit more.”

Pittsburgh fell behind early, down 3-0 in the second period, but managed to close the gap to just one goal by the end of the period. However, Colorado scored three more goals in the third period.

Penguins fans even began booing the team during a power play in the second period. “I think there’s been some times this season when we deserved it,” said Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby, who is also the team captain. “I don’t think tonight was one of them.”

Crosby, now 37, has had a slower start to the season, with eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 30 games. In his first 19 seasons, Crosby had more than a point per game on average. His last goal, which came on Nov. 23, was the 600th of his career.

Montreal Canadiens celebrates a goal

Despite not scoring in his last seven games, Crosby still leads the team in points. Fellow veteran center Evgeni Malkin, 38, is the team’s second-highest scorer with 25 points (six goals, 19 assists). Earlier this season, Malkin reached 500 career goals, a milestone achieved by only 47 other NHL players.

The Canadiens, on the other hand, are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks at home on Monday.

Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist in the win. Laine, who also scored in the shootout, has three power-play goals in the last four games since returning on Dec. 3 from a knee injury he suffered in the preseason.

“His shot is so hard to stop for a goalie,” said Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault, who made 27 saves. “So, on their side, they’ve got to respect that.”

Kirby Dach’s goal 4:36 into the third period tied the game at 2, just 11 seconds after Troy Terry’s goal for the Ducks gave them a 2-1 lead. The goal sent the game into overtime. It was Dach’s first goal since Oct. 26, ending a 19-game goal drought.

“Dostal mishandled the puck behind the net, so it was wide open for me in front,” Dach said. “It’s kind of the only way one was going to go in, I guess, was to have the whole open net in front of me. So it was nice. ‘Slaf’ (Juraj Slafkovsky) made a good play, and it’s definitely encouraging.”

Center and captain Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 28 games. Right wing Cole Caufield, who has 17 goals, is second on the team with 25 points in 28 games.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Mikko Rantanen led Colorado Avalanche against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a big win

Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins

Mikko Rantanen scored three goals and added two assists to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Nathan MacKinnon contributed a goal and four assists, while Scott Wedgewood made 25 saves for the Avalanche, who have now won three consecutive games and four of their last five.

Cody Glass and Michael Bunting scored for the Penguins, who have lost two of their past three games after a four-game winning streak. Tristan Jarry made 21 saves.

MacKinnon put Colorado up 1-0 at 6:31 of the first period. He won a race for a loose puck in the neutral zone, created a two-on-one, and fired a shot past Jarry’s left arm from the left faceoff circle.

Rantanen, playing in his 600th NHL game, made it 2-0 at 18:22. Cale Makar retrieved a loose puck in the left circle and passed it to Rantanen in front, where Rantanen lifted the puck over Jarry’s right pad.

Rantanen added another goal at 5:46 of the second period, pushing the lead to 3-0. Calvin de Haan faked a shot from the blue line and passed to Rantanen near the corner. Rantanen then fired it in short side.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby (NHL)

Glass put the Penguins on the board at 7:21, scoring from the right circle off a pass from Evgeni Malkin to make it 3-1.

Bunting pulled Pittsburgh closer at 18:53, narrowing the gap to 3-2. Erik Karlsson sent a spinning pass from the corner to Bunting in front, and Bunting scored with a wrist shot over Wedgewood’s blocker.

Valeri Nichushkin extended Colorado’s lead to 4-2 at 3:23 of the third period. He carried the puck down the right side, maneuvered around Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson, and slid the puck by Jarry’s right skate.

Artturi Lehkonen made it 5-2 at 12:21 when Rantanen set him up for a wrist shot that beat Jarry blocker side.

With Jarry pulled for an extra attacker, Rantanen completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal from the right circle at 15:08.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Avalanche gaining momentum as they wrap up road trip against Penguins

Colorado Avalanche players celebrates after scoring

Two teams that are playing well will face off when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The Avalanche have won three of their last four games on their current five-game road trip, which ends in Pittsburgh. This comes after they lost three of their previous four games. The trip started strong last Tuesday when Colorado made a huge comeback, overcoming a four-goal deficit to win 5-4 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Recently, the Avalanche won 4-0 against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, completing a successful weekend back-to-back.

“I think it was our best game of the year on the defensive side of it,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar after the game. “To be honest with you, I just felt like we looked really organized, really disciplined, above the puck early.”

The Avalanche scored first for the third straight game on Sunday, and they’ve opened the scoring in four of their last five games. This is a big change from allowing the first goal in five consecutive games earlier. However, they’ve had trouble in the first period, giving up the most goals in the league (42) while scoring only 25.

“It doesn’t help you out,” said defenseman Devon Toews about the slow starts. “If you’re not going to be consistent in this league, you’re not going to win.”

Unsteady goaltending has also been a problem, but the Avalanche hope to solve this by acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. In the trade, Colorado gave up goalie Alexandar Georgiev and forward Nikolai Kovalenko, and also received veteran forward Givani Smith.

Blackwood has a record of 6-9-3 in 19 games this season (17 starts) with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring

To improve their backup goalie situation, the Avalanche also acquired Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators on Nov. 30 in exchange for 24-year-old Justus Annunen. Wedgewood made his debut with Colorado on Dec. 3, replacing Georgiev after he gave up four goals on eight shots against Buffalo. Wedgewood stopped all 22 shots he faced.

Wedgewood has won two of his three games with the Avalanche, including the win over the Devils.

Meanwhile, the Penguins have won five of their last six games after a rough stretch where they lost six of seven. They bounced back from a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

“Nobody was happy with how the game went (Friday),” said forward Bryan Rust. “… We just played harder. Came out from the drop of the puck. That team was physical, they played hard, they played in your face. For the most part, we matched that. Played really hard. (Goaltender Tristan Jarry) was great. Special teams were pretty good. It was a good win.”

Jarry, who had a rough start to the season with just one win in his first six starts, has now won four straight games. He has allowed only seven goals in his last three games, finishing each with a save percentage above .900. Before this stretch, he had only one game with a save percentage above .900, which was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 19.

While players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are usually the ones leading the Penguins’ offense, the team has also gotten some help from secondary scoring, especially from Blake Lizotte. The 27-year-old forward, who turns 27 on Friday, has six points (three goals and three assists) in a four-game point streak.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Penguins edge past Maple Leafs with Michael Bunting’s goal in the 3rd period

Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs

Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust each scored a goal and provided an assist to help the Pittsburgh Penguins win 5-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Michael Bunting, Blake Lizotte, and Kris Letang also scored, and Tristan Jarry made 25 saves for the Penguins, who have won five of their last six games.

Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist, William Nylander also scored, Auston Matthews added two assists, and Joseph Woll made 27 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have lost two games in a row after winning three straight.

Bunting put the Penguins ahead 3-2 with a goal at 5:34 in the third period. On Pittsburgh’s fourth power play, Rust’s shot deflected off Toronto defenseman Conor Timmins’ skate and landed for Bunting, who scored with a one-timer.

Lizotte added an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left, increasing the lead to 4-2, and Letang followed with another empty-net goal 14 seconds later to make it 5-2.

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

Rakell helped get the first power play of the game when Matthew Knies was called for holding. Rakell then tipped Matt Grzelcyk’s shot into the net for a 1-0 lead at 4:39 of the first period.

Toronto quickly tied the game 1-1 at 6:35. Jarry stopped Marner’s tip, but Marner recovered the rebound and scored his 10th goal of the season.

The Penguins regained the lead 2-1 at 14:15 when Sidney Crosby took a shot that missed the net but bounced off the end boards. Rust was there to score with a one-timer from the right circle.

The Maple Leafs evened it up 2-2 early in the second period at 2:32 when Nylander scored a one-timer on a power play, beating Jarry for his 17th goal of the season.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Leafs and Penguins look to rebound with strong performances

Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

The Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the top teams in the NHL, will have a chance to bounce back from a rare loss when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

Toronto had been on a strong run, winning three games in a row and 10 of their last 12, which put them at the top of the Atlantic Division. However, they were stopped in a 3-1 home loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday.

The Penguins also faced a setback on Friday, losing 4-2 to the New York Rangers, which ended their four-game winning streak.

Before the Capitals game, the Maple Leafs had won five straight home games and set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive road victory.

The game was tied 1-1 until Washington’s Connor McMichael scored at 9:51 of the third period, followed by an empty-net goal from Aliaksei Protas in the last minute.

Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said, “Instead of just going the other way with the puck, we brought it back too much tonight. It started from the first period on for the whole game. That eventually bit us and cost us. We didn’t play a north game, we didn’t play fast tonight. They were the better team. They deserved to win.”

The Capitals did a good job keeping Toronto’s Auston Matthews off the scoreboard. Matthews had missed nine games due to an upper-body injury but had returned to score against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and added two goals against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday.

Mitch Marner, the Maple Leafs’ right winger, had his eight-game point streak end against the Capitals. During the streak, he had five goals and 11 assists.

Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring

Marner averages at least a point a game against 24 of the 32 teams in the NHL, including the Penguins. He has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 21 games against Pittsburgh.

Like the Maple Leafs, the Penguins struggled in the third period on Friday. Reilly Smith of the Rangers scored the game-winning goal at 9:53 of the third period, and Vincent Trocheck added an insurance goal at 18:22.

Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves against the Rangers, but Tristan Jarry is expected to start against the Maple Leafs. Jarry has a 5-3-0 record against Toronto, with a .909 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average. His most recent game against the Leafs was on Dec. 16, 2023, when he allowed four goals on 14 shots and was pulled in the second period during a 7-0 loss.

Blake Lizotte scored the first goal against the Rangers, continuing his strong performance in his first season with the Penguins. He has five goals in 12 games, compared to seven goals in 62 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season.

Philip Tomasino also scored his third goal in five games for Pittsburgh since being traded from the Predators on Nov. 25 for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

On Saturday, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan will coach his 700th game with the franchise. He will become the 21st person to coach at least 700 games for a single NHL team.

Sullivan said, “I am so privileged to have the opportunity to coach here in Pittsburgh. It’s a first-class organization. Been through a couple of ownership groups. Both groups bring such first-class leadership to what we do here.”

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NFL (American Football)

Igor Shesterkin ends his slump as the Rangers defeat the Penguins 4-2

New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins

Reilly Smith scored the go-ahead goal with 10:07 left in the third period, and the New York Rangers finished an eventful day with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.

The Rangers got their second win in eight games (2-6-0) after trading their captain, struggling defenseman Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the day. New York also reportedly signed goalie Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension.

Smith, who made a defensive play that led to a two-on-one break, scored against his old team after Pittsburgh goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped him and Mika Zibanejad. Smith stayed with the play, moved to the right side of the crease, gained control of the rebound, and slid the puck into the slightly open right side of the net.

Smith’s fourth goal of the season came almost 2 1/2 minutes after Pittsburgh’s Phillip Tomasino tied the game at 2-2.

Artemi Panarin scored twice in the second period as the Rangers came back from an early deficit. Panarin, who leads the team with 15 goals, had his fifth multi-goal game of the season, putting the Rangers ahead 2-1 with just two seconds left in the period.

Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers

Vincent Trocheck sealed the win with a goal 98 seconds left after assisting Panarin on his goals.

Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh, which had its four-game winning streak ended.

Shesterkin made 20 saves, ending a personal five-game losing streak. His first win since Nov. 19 was highlighted by a glove save on Evgeni Malkin with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the second period.

Nedeljkovic allowed four goals on 32 shots.

Lizotte gave Pittsburgh the lead when he skated through the offensive zone without being challenged, entered the slot, and beat Shesterkin to the glove side with 13:41 remaining in the second period.

The Rangers tied the game 69 seconds later when Panarin received a cross-ice pass from Alexis Lafreniere and fired a shot from just above the left circle into the net while Malkin tried to block it.

After Owen Pickering hit the right post with 47 seconds left, the Rangers regained the lead. Panarin took a pass from Trocheck, entered the offensive zone, moved through the slot, and released a shot that went past Nedeljkovic.

Tomasino scored after the Rangers turned the puck over in the neutral zone, lifting the puck past Shesterkin’s blocker 8:29 into the third period.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

The Penguins have traded for forward Philip Tomasino from Nashville, sending a 2027 draft pick in return

Nashville Predators center Philip Tomasino, left, skates with the puck as Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, right, defends during the first period

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded for center Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators on Monday, sending a fourth-round pick in the 2027 draft in return.

This move adds another young player to the Penguins’ roster as the team tries to improve after a difficult start to the season, its worst in almost 20 years.

Tomasino, 23, has one point in 11 games so far this season with Nashville. He was a first-round pick in the 2019 draft and has played 159 games for the Predators since making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, recording 23 goals and 48 assists.

The Penguins gave up a fourth-round draft pick they had received from the New York Rangers to acquire Tomasino.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby (NHL)

Pittsburgh is struggling with its worst start in nearly two decades. The Penguins are currently last in the Metropolitan Division, and their minus-34 goal difference is the worst in the NHL.

Despite some highlights — like star captain Sidney Crosby joining the 600-goal club over the weekend — general manager Kyle Dubas is focusing more on bringing in younger players to refresh a team that is one of the oldest in the league. Earlier this month, he traded veteran center Lars Eller to Washington for multiple draft picks.