Category: NHL

Crosby and Malkin each have goal and assist, Jarry stops 31 shots as Penguins beat Sharks 3-0

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) is congratulated by defenseman Kris Letang (58) after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist, Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots for his 22nd career shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0 on Saturday night.

Anthony Mantha also scored for the Penguins, who improved to 4-2-0 on the season.

Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for the Sharks, and San Jose outshot an opponent for the first time this season but was unable to score. The Sharks, an NHL-worst 20-50-12 last season, remained the league’s only winless team at 0-3-2.

San Jose has now started four straight seasons winless through five games.

Crosby opened the scoring 7:35 into the second period on a deflection off of a point shot by Kris Letang.

Mantha padded the Penguins’ lead 7:02 into the second period, and Malkin capped the scoring on an empty-netter with 22 seconds remaining.

Jarry lowered his goals-against average to 2.35 on the season.

Up next

Penguins: Host Vancouver on Tuesday.

Sharks: At New York Islanders on Tuesday to open a four-game trip.

Filip Hallander’s first career goal sparks Penguins’ comeback win over Kings

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele (37) attempts a shot under defense by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon (28) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Filip Hallander scored his first career goal to give Pittsburgh the lead and the Penguins rallied to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Thursday night.

Hallander, playing in his seventh NHL game, jammed in Rickard Rakell’s rebound at the near post for the short-handed goal at 6:50 of the third period to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the second game of a three-game California swing.

Evgeni Malkin, Connor Dewar and Sidney Crosby also scored, and Arturs Silovs made 30 saves for the Penguins.

Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala scored in the first period to give the Kings a 2-0 lead after one, but LA lost its third in a row. Anton Forsberg made 22 saves.

The Penguins scored goals 41 seconds apart in the second period to tie it at 2-all, as Malkin kick-started the push back on the power play.

It was the 1,000th career game together for the Pittsburgh tandem of Crosby — who picked up a late empty-netter — and Kris Letang, making them the seventh NHL forward-defenseman duo to share the ice in that many games.

Despite being forced to shuffle three of their lines because of the absence of center Anze Kopitar, who is day to day with a lower-body injury, the Kings got off to their best first period of the season.

However, Los Angeles couldn’t overcome its leaky defense and penchant for committing unnecessary penalties.

In addition to being without their captain, the Kings were also missing starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper because of a lower-body injury. Forsberg was backed up by Pheonix Copley, who returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday in a trade with Tampa Bay.

Up Next

Penguins: Visit San Jose on Saturday.

Kings: Host Carolina on Saturday.

Anaheim Ducks defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3

(File Photo of the Pittsburgh Penguins Logo)

(AP)

Pittsburgh 2 1 0 — 3
Anaheim 2 1 1 — 4

First Period_1, Pittsburgh, Brazeau 4 (Shea, Malkin), 1:03. 2, Pittsburgh, Rakell 2 (Shea, Crosby), 7:01. 3, Anaheim, Kreider 3 (Carlsson, Granlund), 9:42 (pp). 4, Anaheim, Gauthier 3 (Sennecke, Mintyukov), 19:25. Penalties_Dumba, PIT (Holding), 3:26; Crosby, PIT (Hooking), 8:52.

Second Period_5, Anaheim, Helleson 1 (Kreider), 9:48. 6, Pittsburgh, Mantha 1 (Crosby, Rust), 17:01. Penalties_Rakell, PIT (Slashing), 0:55; Anaheim bench, served by Vatrano (Delay of Game), 17:01.

Third Period_7, Anaheim, Kreider 4 (Carlsson, Terry), 18:33 (pp). Penalties_Karlsson, PIT (High Sticking), 3:18; Wotherspoon, PIT (Delay of Game), 18:26; Letang, PIT (Interference), 19:48.

Shots on Goal_Pittsburgh 15-9-4_28. Anaheim 6-10-5_21.

Power-play opportunities_Pittsburgh 0 of 1; Anaheim 2 of 6.

Goalies_Pittsburgh, Jarry 1-1-0 (21 shots-17 saves). Anaheim, Dostal 1-1-0 (28-25).

A_17,622 (17,174). T_2:33.

Referees_Gord Dwyer, Trevor Hanson. Linesmen_Brandon Gawryletz, Ryan Gibbons.

Adam Fox leads Rangers past Penguins 6-1 in coach Mike Sullivan’s return to Pittsburgh

(File Photo: Source for Photo: New York Rangers’ Adam Fox (23) celebrates as he returns to the bench after scoring the first of his two goals during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Fox scored twice and added an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Penguins 6-1 on Saturday night to give new coach Mike Sullivan a victory in his return to Pittsburgh.

Sullivan, who coached the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, was back for the first time since parting ways with the team in April. Pittsburgh spoiled Sullivan’s debut with the Rangers by winning the season opener 3-0 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, but New York exacted a measure of revenge on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal, his 251st goal with the Rangers, surpassing Mark Messier for the eighth-most in franchise history. Will Cuylle added a power-play goal, and Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh also scored for New York, which announced on Saturday that center Vincent Trocheck — a Pittsburgh native — is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for the Rangers.

Ben Kindel scored his first NHL goal and Bryan Rust returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup after missing the first two games of the season because of a lower-body injury. The Penguins lost for the first time under new coach Dan Muse, a Rangers assistant from 2023-25.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots after shutting out the Rangers on Tuesday.

Sullivan, in addition to his back-to-back championships, had 409 wins with Pittsburgh in 753 games, both team records.

Zibanejad scored at 7:40 of the first period, 23 seconds after a tribute video was played to honor Sullivan. It was Zibanejad’s 12th short-handed goal with the Rangers, tied for fifth-most in franchise history.

New York took command in the second with three goals and a 14-3 advantage in shots.

Fox helped the Rangers regain the lead, 2-1, just 3:02 after Kindel scored. Cuylle made it 3-1 when he tapped in a pass from Conor Sheary, who also won back-to-back championships with Pittsburgh.

Fox scored his second goal from the point five seconds into a power play as the Rangers opened a 4-1 lead.

Up next

Rangers: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

Penguins: Open a three-game West Coast trip Tuesday at Anaheim.

Justin Brazeau’s late goal propels Penguins to 4-3 win over Islanders

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates after his goal with Evgeni Malkin (71) and Rickard Rakell (67) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Justin Brazeau beat Ilya Sorokin on a breakaway with 5:39 left to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the New York Islanders 4-3 on Thursday night.

Brazeau collected a lead pass from Evgeni Malkin, then deked his way by a sprawled Sorokin as the Penguins won for the second time in as many games under first-year coach Dan Muse.

Malkin finished with a goal and two assists while Sidney Crosby added a goal and an assist.

Crosby’s second-period tally from one knee at the top of the crease gave him 626 goals in his career, broke a tie with Hall of Famers Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic, and moved Crosby into 16th-place by himself on the NHL’s career list.

Pittsburgh rookie Harrison Brunicke became the first South African to score in the NHL when he beat Sorokin between the legs in the second period. Tristan Jarry finished with 34 saves, including a couple of key stops in the frantic final seconds.

Jonathan Drouin, Kyle Palmieri, and rookie Max Shabanov scored for the Islanders. Sorokin stopped 24 shots.

Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the top overall pick in this year’s draft, picked up the first point of his career when the 18-year-old set up a knuckler from the slot by Drouin just past the midway point of the opening period.

Schaefer, who had around 30 friends and family in the stands, played 17:15 while becoming the second youngest defenseman to make his NHL debut in the last 70 years. Schaefer hardly looked out of place and showcased his dazzling speed on a handful of occasions while racing through the neutral zone to jump into the play.

Up next

Islanders: Host Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in their home opener on Saturday.

Penguins: Welcome former coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Penguins beat Mike Sullivan’s Rangers 3-0 in coach Dan Muse’s debut

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones (82) clears the puck in front of goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular-season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night in each team’s opener.

Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.

Brazeau and Silovs were also playing for the Penguins for the first time. Brazeau signed as a free agent, while Silovs joined in a trade from Vancouver.

Evgeni Malkin led off his 20th season in the league by setting up Brazeau’s goal. Malkin beat Vincent Trocheck on an offensive zone faceoff to get the puck to Brazeau, who was alone in front and roofed a backhander past Igor Shesterkin.

Brazeau’s first goal with 32 seconds remaining in the first came near the end of a period that Pittsburgh controlled the play for much of the time. Silovs blockered away a shot from Alexis Lafrenière in the final seconds of an early Rangers power play but did not have to make too many other spectacular saves to get the win.

With Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Brazeau had an empty-netter with 2:12 left, and Blake Lizotte sealed it with another 20 seconds later.

Mika Zibanejad, who Sullivan put on new captain J.T. Miller’s right wing to start the season, was one of the most noticeable players for New York. Zibanejad missed the net on a couple of scoring chances but also had a game-high seven shots on goal.

Defeating the Rangers gave the Penguins something to celebrate on opening night as Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history. They became the first trio in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team.

Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna looking forward to his Penn State debut

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Canada forward Gavin McKenna celebrates his first goal during first period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament action against Finland, Dec. 26, 2024, in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Gavin McKenna admits he didn’t watch a lot of college hockey growing up in Western Canada.

But the projected 2026 NHL draft’s top prospect saw enough last season to know he wanted to play for Penn State.

McKenna met with reporters Monday for the first time since shocking the hockey world in July by announcing his departure from the Western Hockey League to commit to Guy Gadowsky’s Nittany Lions.

“Seeing what these guys did last year, making it to the Frozen Four, that was a big influence on me,” McKenna said. “I wanted to come to a winning team and I thought this was the spot.”

The 17-year-old was already the main man for a winning program.

He finished second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games last season and was the league’s player of the year. He led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the WHL championship and Memorial Cup finals.

In his three seasons for Medicine Hat, McKenna had 79 goals and 165 assists.

Now he aims to provide even more scoring and playmaking for the Nittany Lions who return their top six scorers from last season’s squad that fell a game short of playing for an NCAA title.

“It’s continuing on where we left off and I think Gavin was really adamant about that when coming in and talking about the reasons why,” Gadowsky said. “He’s here to enhance that, not change that.”

McKenna is joined by new teammates Lev Katzin, Luke Misa and Shea Van Olm, and defensemen Jackson Smith and Nolan Collins who are among the nearly 325 CHL players who have committed to Division I college programs this year.

The NCAA lifted its ban on CHL players in November, paving the way for McKenna and other CHL players — previously considered professionals because they received stipends for living expenses — to defect to the NCAA ranks.

McKenna, living on his own for the first time nearly 3,500 miles from his home in Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory, has already made a strong first impression on his coaches and teammates.

Gadowsky said McKenna, is a “chill, great hang” while team captain Dane Dowiak called him a normal guy who “just wants to win.”

They’ve all been mesmerized by the winger’s hockey IQ, speed and ability to think and react before defenders can get a bead on him.

“He does think the game differently,” Gadowsky said. “He’s a different animal when it comes to that. Not only compared to any other freshman, compared to anybody.”

But there are areas where the phenom will be tested, Gadowsky said.

Notably, McKenna goes from being one of the older players in the WHL where players as young as 15 can suit up, to one of the youngest in the NCAA ranks.

“He’s going to be playing against guys eight years older that have been lifting weights in a very structured environment for a long time,” Gadowsky said. “Don’t forget, he’s 17 so there is going to be a transition process, there really is.”

McKenna is counting on it.

“I think there’s a lot less time and space,” McKenna said. “The guys are bigger, faster, older. It’s not too different in terms of skill and stuff. Obviously both leagues are very skilled and guys can make plays, but in terms of speed and size, I think that’s the biggest difference.”

Listed at 6-foot, 170 pounds, McKenna said he considered the length of the NCAA season a positive and negative when making his decision.

A negative because he loves the game and wants to play as much as possible. Even with a postseason run, Penn State played 40 games last year. McKenna skated in more than 60 games each of the last two seasons with Medicine Hat.

The positive? He’ll have some time to develop physically for what comes after his time in Happy Valley.

“I’m itching to play games,” McKenna said. “With that though, that’s a reason I came here is because less games, more time in the gym. I’m not a big guy, so I want to put on weight and that was part of the reason I came here.”

And to win.

Aiden Fink, the team’s leading scorer last season with 23 goals and 30 assists, is looking forward to skating with McKenna and is ready for the extra attention on the program.

“It’s going to be an exciting year for us, definitely,” Fink said.

Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna says he’s committing to Penn State

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Canada’s Gavin McKenna (9) skates with the puck as United States’ Drew Fortescue (5) defends during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game in Ottawa, Ontario, Dec. 31, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

(AP) Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State, leaving the Canadian Hockey League for the U.S. college ranks in a long-anticipated decision by one of the sport’s most anticipated prospects since Connor McDavid.

McKenna’s jump highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA’s landmark decision in November to lift its ban on CHL player participation.

After word of McKenna’s destination leaked Monday, he made the announcement on “SportsCenter” on Tuesday. It coincidentally came 15 years to the day after “The Decision” when LeBron James revealed on ESPN he was leaving Cleveland for Miami.

“It was a super tough decision,” McKenna said before donning a Penn State hat. “Obviously there was a lot of great options out there, but I think me, my family and everyone that’s kind of a part of my circle, we all decided that the best spot for me next year will be Penn State University.”

McKenna, who turns 18 in December, is regarded a generational talent and has for the past two years been projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

“The (Western Hockey League) was a great spot, and I’m very grateful for what it did for me and my family,” McKenna said, adding he believes facing bigger, older competition will help make the leap to the NHL easier. “Both options were great, but I just think going to college, being in such a great conference, it’ll really challenge me and prepare me.”

Leaving the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers after two-plus seasons, McKenna joining Nittany Lions makes them an immediate contender to win a Frozen Four title. He had narrowed his choices to Penn State, coming off losing its Frozen Four debut in April, and Michigan State.

“You saw what Penn State did this year making the Frozen Four,” McKenna said. “They’ve come a long ways, and I think next year when I go there, obviously that’s the goal is to win a championship with them.”

The NCAA rule change coincides with schools being allowed to lure recruits with name, image, likeness (NIL) endorsement money, further tipping the scales toward CHL players making the jump. Previously, CHL players were barred from competing in college because they were deemed professionals for receiving a stipend of up to $600 per month for living expenses.

The lifting of the ban led to college hockey officials envisioning the NCAA replacing the CHL as North America’s top producer of NHL draft-ready talent.

From Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is coming off his second full season with Medicine Hat in which he finished second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists), behind 20-year Andrew Cristall’s 132. McKenna’s point total was third among all CHL players, rounded out by OHL’s Michael Misa’s 134. Misa is a year older and was selected second by San Jose in this year’s draft.

McKenna most notably closed this season with a 45-game point streak in which he combined for 32 goals and 100 points, and finished the playoffs with nine goals and 38 points in 16 games. Including playoffs, he failed to register a point just four times.

McKenna’s potential has already caused a ripple effect among NHL teams, who have been guarded about trading their 2026 first-round selections in fear of potentially missing out on a chance to select him.

McKenna’s name even caused a buzz at the Frozen Four in St. Louis, where there was already speculation of him being lured south.

Counting the regular season and playoffs, McKenna combined for 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games in the WHL.

He already has NHL ties in being a cousin by marriage to Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. McKenna grew up in Whitehorse befriending the family of Dylan Cozens, the Ottawa Senators forward who was selected seventh overall by Buffalo in the 2019 draft.

 

Penguins Hire Rangers assistant Dan Muse as New Coach

New York Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse, right, watches during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker File)

Jun 4, 2025 2:30 PM

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dan Muse is the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins hired the former New York Rangers assistant and tasked him with helping the franchise navigate a rebuild during the twilight of longtime captain Sidney Crosby’s career. Muse replaces Mike Sullivan. Sullivan and the Penguins split in April after a nearly decade-long tenure that included a pair of Stanley Cup titles. The Rangers scooped up Sullivan, naming him their coach in May. The 42-year-old Muse was hired after a monthlong search by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. Muse’s hiring leaves the Boston Bruins as the last of eight teams with offseason head coaching vacancies.

New York Rangers hire Mike Sullivan as coach days after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways

(AP File Photo)

May 2, 2025 9:49 AM

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer

The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan as coach. Sullivan was out of a job for less than a week after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed Monday to part ways. Sullivan replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers missed the playoffs following a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year. Sullivan, who coached Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup back to back in 2016 and ’17, is tasked with trying to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender. General manager Chris Drury made the move to get Sullivan not long after receiving a multiyear contract extension of his own.