Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday night for a date with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Tristan Jarry, and the Edmonton Oilers. However, a three-goal outburst in 37 seconds set the tone for the night, as the Penguins were en route to a 6-2 win, getting their first win in Oil Country since December 2019. [Recap]
General manager Kyle Dubas has quietly assembled a 2025-26 Penguins team that may be more than good enough for a playoff spot in what most thought would be another down year. His hot streak, however, dates back to the start of the 2024-25 campaign, and it’s put the Penguins on a path for success in the short- and long-term. [PensBurgh]
Eleven-year-old Katherine Haskey, who has Down syndrome, has found a sense of belonging in hockey through her close bond with Penguins rookie Ben Kindel, who treats her as a fellow player, not simply as a fan with a medical condition. Kindel’s consistent kindness has helped Katherine feel safe, valued, and confident both at the rink and in her own hockey journey. [Sportsnet]
Before Thursday night’s game, the Penguins activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve, while subsequently placing defenseman Ryan Graves on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. [Trib Live]
Acquired in the trade that sent Tristan Jarry to the Oilers, defender Brett Kulak has given the Penguins a reliable, steady presence on the back end who has jelled nicely alongside Kris Letang. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Toronto Maple Leafs were scheduled to practice outdoors this weekend, but due to extreme weather conditions in the forecast, the special practice session, originally slated from Saturday to Monday, has been canceled. Weather forecasts predict that the temperature in Toronto will drop as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius) throughout the weekend. [Sportsnet]
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Josh Doan to a seven-year, $48.65 million extension. [TSN]
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin underwent surgery for a lingering lower-body injury that will prevent him from playing for Sweden in the Olympics next month. [Associated Press via Sportsnet]
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins traveled to Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday night for a date with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Tristan Jarry, and the Edmonton Oilers. However, a three-goal outburst in 37 seconds set the tone for the night, as the Penguins were en route to a 6-2 win, getting their first win in Oil Country since December 2019. [Recap]
General manager Kyle Dubas has quietly assembled a 2025-26 Penguins team that may be more than good enough for a playoff spot in what most thought would be another down year. His hot streak, however, dates back to the start of the 2024-25 campaign, and it’s put the Penguins on a path for success in the short- and long-term. [PensBurgh]
Eleven-year-old Katherine Haskey, who has Down syndrome, has found a sense of belonging in hockey through her close bond with Penguins rookie Ben Kindel, who treats her as a fellow player, not simply as a fan with a medical condition. Kindel’s consistent kindness has helped Katherine feel safe, valued, and confident both at the rink and in her own hockey journey. [Sportsnet]
Before Thursday night’s game, the Penguins activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from injured reserve, while subsequently placing defenseman Ryan Graves on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury. [Trib Live]
Acquired in the trade that sent Tristan Jarry to the Oilers, defender Brett Kulak has given the Penguins a reliable, steady presence on the back end who has jelled nicely alongside Kris Letang. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Toronto Maple Leafs were scheduled to practice outdoors this weekend, but due to extreme weather conditions in the forecast, the special practice session, originally slated from Saturday to Monday, has been canceled. Weather forecasts predict that the temperature in Toronto will drop as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius) throughout the weekend. [Sportsnet]
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Josh Doan to a seven-year, $48.65 million extension. [TSN]
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin underwent surgery for a lingering lower-body injury that will prevent him from playing for Sweden in the Olympics next month. [Associated Press via Sportsnet]
Welcome to another edition of the NHL Morning Recap. All the Latest NHL Daily Recaps Today, we will be looking at the scores of the eight NHL games that were played on…
Buffalo Sabres (28-17-5, in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (27-18-5, in the Metropolitan Division)
Elmont, New York; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres face off in Eastern Conference play.
New York is 14-8-2 at home and 27-18-5 overall. The Islanders have a 19-2-3 record when scoring three or more goals.
Buffalo has gone 12-11-2 in road games and 28-17-5 overall. The Sabres have a 26-4-4 record when scoring at least three goals.
The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season. The Sabres won 3-2 in a shootout in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matthew Schaefer has scored 13 goals with 21 assists for the Islanders. Anthony Duclair has eight goals and two assists over the last 10 games.
Rasmus Dahlin has seven goals and 29 assists for the Sabres. Tage Thompson has scored six goals with nine assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 6.9 assists, four penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.
Sabres: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights meet in a non-conference matchup.
Toronto is 24-17-9 overall and 16-6-6 in home games. The Maple Leafs are 20-9-4 in games they score three or more goals.
Vegas has gone 12-6-6 in road games and 24-13-12 overall. The Golden Knights have a +17 scoring differential, with 163 total goals scored and 146 conceded.
The teams meet Friday for the second time this season. The Golden Knights won 6-5 in overtime in the previous matchup. Pavel Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: John Tavares has 18 goals and 25 assists for the Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews has seven goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Mitchell Marner has 12 goals and 40 assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has six goals and 12 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Maple Leafs: 5-2-3, averaging 3.2 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 7-2-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.4 assists, 2.5 penalties and 6.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Maple Leafs: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game 45 seconds into overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
Kaprizov came down the middle and beat goalie Cam Talbot with a wrist shot from between the circles.
Mats Zuccarello also scored twice, and Filip Gustavsson made 31 saves.
Quinn Hughes had three assists, giving him 43 on the season, tied for the most among NHL defensemen. Hughes has seven assists in his last four games and has had at least three assists in a game four times since joining the Wild in a trade with Vancouver on December 12.
Lucas Raymond had two goals and James van Riemsdyk also scored for Detroit. Talbot made 35 saves.
The point for getting past regulation moved the Red Wings into tie with Carolina atop the Eastern Conference with 67 points. Detroit had won eight of its last nine.
The Red Wings took three one-goal leads, but the Wild answered each time.
Raymond and Kaprizov traded power-play goals in the first period.
Late in the second period, Detroit capitalized on a Wild turnover to take a 2-1 lead. Marcus Johansson's pass hit the skate of Detroit's Marco Kasper and the puck deflected to Raymond alone in front of the net. He beat Gustavsson with a wrist shot for his second goal of the night and 17th of the season.
The Detroit Red Wings got a firsthand look at why Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is going to be the highest-paid player in NHL history.
Kaprizov scored twice on Thursday evening, including the overtime game-winning goal, as part of Minnesota's 4-3 overtime victory at Grand Casino Arena.
Kaprizov's recent eight-year, $136 million contract extension, which will kick in at the start of next season, carries a $17 million cap hit, the largest of any player to have suited up in the NHL.
The Red Wings, who picked up a point in the standings, now sit atop the Atlantic Division with 67 points, moving past the idle Tampa Bay Lightning. However, they won't like the fact that they weren't able to protect the three separate leads they had during the contest.
Lucas Raymond opened the scoring in the first period of play, sniping home a power-play goal past goaltender Filip Gustafsson. But late in the frame, it would be Kaprizov scoring what was the first of his two goals on the evening, knotting the score at 1-1.
Raymond once again found the back of the net late in the second period, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce that sent the puck right onto his stick alone in the slot before beating Gustafsson with a low shot through the pads, helping Detroit take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
The third period was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams traded goals in short order. Mats Zuccarello scored less than a minute into the period, which was his first of what would be two goals of his own, knotting the score.
James van Riemsdyk continued his impressive season, tipping home a pass from rookie Emmitt Finnie at the side of the net to give Detroit a 3-2 lead; it was van Riemsdyk's 14th goal of the season, while Finnie picked up his first point since Dec. 23.
Just seconds later, Zuccarello scored again, picking up a rebound and beating Talbot during a goal-mouth scramble to knot the score yet again.
Late in regulation, the Red Wings had a prime opportunity to seize the lead after Alex DeBrincat moved in alone on a breakaway, but his top-shelf attempt sailed over the net.
Not long after Larkin had the chance to score his second overtime game-winner in 24 hours, Kaprizov sealed the victory for the Wild.
Talbot, who played multiple seasons with Minnesota earlier in his career, made 35 saves, while Gustafsson stopped 30 of 33 shots that he faced.
Travis Hamonic was in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 21, as Simon Edvinsson wasn’t available because of a lower-body ailment.
The Red Wings will wrap up their three-game road swing with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday evening.
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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Anthony Mantha scored twice, Sidney Crosby made it three in an early 37-second span and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday night.
The 37-second spree was the fastest three goals in Penguins history and the fastest three allowed by the Oilers.
The Penguins scored on three of their first four shots. Just 2:20 in, Justin Brazeau made a nifty pass through a defender’s legs to Mantha, who deflected it in. Twenty-two seconds later, Mantha scored on a breakaway. Crosby struck 15 seconds after that, deflecting a pass from the slot into the net.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, Rickard Rakell, and Egor Chinakhov also scored and Arturs Silovs made 30 saves. The Penguins have won three straight and are 10-2-2 in their last 14 to get to 25-14-11.
Jake Walman and Matthew Savoie scored for Edmonton, and Tristan Jarry made 16 saves against his former team. The Oilers have lost two in a row and four of six to fall to 25-19-8.
Connor McDavid was held pointless in consecutive games are the first time this season. The last time he went two games without a point was Feb. 7 and Feb. 22, 2025, a pair of matches broken up by the 4 Nations Face-Off.
BOSTON (AP) — Charlie McAvoy started a three-goal flurry in a 54-second span in the first period, David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists and the Boston Bruins held off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Thursday night.
Boston won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Elias Lindholm and Tanner Jeannot also scored for the Bruins, who made the Golden Knights pay after a double minor for high-sticking was assessed to forward Tomas Hertl at the nine-minute mark of the opening period. Appearing in his second straight game, Joonas Korpisalo made 29 saves.
Vegas cut a 4-0 deficit in half during the opening minutes in the third period behind goals from Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertle. The Golden Knights made it three straight when Pavel Dorofeyev scored with 2:35 left with goalie Akira Schmid off for an extra skater,
Schmid remained in net after a shaky sequence that began when McAvoy blasted one from just inside the blue line for his fourth goal of the season. The goal came 10 seconds into the four-minute power play.
Boston kept charging and made it two power-play goals in 30 seconds when Lindholm scored between the circles for ninth goal of the season. Pastrnak assisted on both power-play goals.
Jeannot capped the spree off a feed from Sean Kuraly with 9:54 left.
SABRES 4, CANADIENS 2
MONTREAL (AP) — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves, Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn and Zach Benson gave Buffalo an early lead and the Sabres beat Montreal for their 17th victory in 21 games.
Peyton Krebs added an empty-netter in the third. The Sabres improved to 28-17-5, beating Montreal for the second time in eight days.
Cole Caufield scored for the fourth straight game for Montreal, and Nick Suzuki also connected, The Canadiens dropped to 28-16-7. They had won two in a row.
Samuel Montembeault stopped 13 shots in his first regulation loss since being called up from a conditioning assignment with Laval of the AHL on Dec. 27.
Buffalo is two points behind Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division.
BLACKHAWKS 4, HURRICANES 3, SO
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —Oliver Moore scored in the shootout on his 21st birthday and Spencer Knight stopped five of six shots by Carolina to give Chicago a shootout win.
Connor Murphy, Ilya Mikheyev and Nick Lardis scored in regulation for the Blackhawks. Knight, who shut out Winnipeg on Monday night, made 28 saves in regulation and overtime for his second straight win.
Joel Nystrom, Jordan Staal and Jackson Blake scored for the Hurricanes, whose five-game home winning streak ended. Frederik Andersen stopped 18 shots and four more in the shootout.
The win capped an eventful night for Moore, who celebrated a milestone birthday. He was on the wrong side of a fight with Alexander Nikishin in the second period and then nearly won the game in overtime but was robbed by Andersen.
Chicago led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but couldn’t put the Hurricanes away in regulation. Carolina has yet to lose in regulation with top defenseman Jaccob Slavin in the lineup (8-0-3).
BLUE JACKETS 1, STARS 0
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jet Greaves had 28 saves for his third career shutout, Zach Werenski scored his 19th goal of the season, and Columbus beat Dallas.
Werenski scored at 8:48 of the first period with a wrist shot from the right circle that went through traffic and inside the far post with assists from Damon Severson and Isac Lundestrom, who had missed 12 games with a lower-body injury suffered in practice on Dec. 27.
The Blue Jackets have now won five of their last six.
Casey DeSmith stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced but could not prevent the Stars from losing for the fourth time in their last five games. The Stars outshot the Blue Jackets 28-22.
Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle played in his 1,000th career game, the fifth player to reach the mark in a Columbus uniform. He scored into an empty net late in the game but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Murphy and Blake traded goals 82 seconds apart near in the back half of the third period to send it to overtime.
Andersen came up with a pair saves — on Moore and Frank Nazar — in the third period to keep the game tied at 2 . He made two bigger saves — on Wyatt Kaiser and Moore — in overtime.
PREDATORS 5, SENATORS 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos broke a tie with 2:13 left with his third goal of the game and Nashville overcame a three-goal deficit to beat Ottawa.
After Stamkos tied it at 3 with 9:53 left with his second power-play goal of the game, Ryan O’Reilly beat the Senators to the puck behind the goal line and popped it out front to Stamkos, who batted it out of the air past goalie James Reimer.
O’Reilly set up the tying goal, too, firing a cross-crease feed to Stamkos with the man advantage. Nashville got the power play when Tim Stutzle cross-checked Stamkos.
Predators captain Roman Josi, playing his 1,000th NHL game, also assisted on the tying goal. The defenseman is the 84th player in NHL history to play his first 1,000 regular-season games with one franchise.
Stamkos had his second hat trick of the season and 16th overall to push his season goals total to 24. Jonathan Marchessault also scored, and Cole Smith had an empty-netter. Juuse Saros made 23 saves to help Nashville end a three-game losing streak.
PANTHERS 2, JETS 1, SO
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart beat Connor Hellebuyck in a shootout to help give Florida a victory over Winnipeg.
Winnipeg shooters Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele came up empty against Daniil Tarasov in the tiebreaker.
Sam Bennett scored in regulation, and Tarasov stopped 17 shots for two-time defending champion Florida. Matthew Tkachuk had an assist for his first point of the season in his second game back from adductor muscle surgery.
The Panthers are 4-2-0 in their last six to improve to 26-20-3.
Cole Perfetti scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck stopped 19 shots. The Jets are 5-1-2 in their last eight to get to 20-23-7.
PENGUINS 6, OILERS 2
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Anthony Mantha scored twice, Sidney Crosby made it three in an early 37-second span and Pittsburgh beat Edmonton.
The 37-second spree was the fastest three goals in Penguins history and the fastest three allowed by the Oilers.
The Penguins scored on three of their first four shots. Just 2:20 in, Justin Brazeau made a nifty pass through a defender’s legs to Mantha, who deflected it in. Twenty-two seconds later, Mantha scored on a breakaway. Crosby struck 15 seconds after that, deflecting a pass from the slot into the net.
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, Rickard Rakell, and Egor Chinakhov also scored and Arturs Silovs made 30 saves. The Penguins have won three straight and are 10-2-2 in their last 14 to get to 25-14-11.
Jake Walman and Matthew Savoie scored for Edmonton, and Tristan Jarry made 16 saves against his former team. The Oilers have lost two in a row and four of six to fall to 25-19-8.
WILD 4, RED WINGS 3, OT
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored his second goal of the game 45 seconds into overtime to give Minnesota a victory over Detroit.
Kaprizov came down the middle and beat goalie Cam Talbot with a wrist shot from between the circles.
Mats Zuccarello also scored twice, and Filip Gustavsson made 31 saves.
Quinn Hughes had three assists, giving him 43 on the season, tied for the most among NHL defensemen. Hughes has seven assists in his last four games and has had at least three assists in a game four times since joining the Wild in a trade with Vancouver on December 12.
Lucas Raymond had two goals and James van Riemsdyk also scored for Detroit. Talbot made 35 saves.
The point for getting past regulation moved the Red Wings into tie with Carolina atop the Eastern Conference with 67 points. Detroit had won eight of its last nine.
The Red Wings took three one-goal leads, but the Wild answered each time.
Because after yet another win on Thursday, I think it's safe to say that this is a pretty good hockey team.
On the second leg of a back-to-back, the Penguins earned their third straight win when they beat the Edmonton Oilers, 6-2, to continue what has been a perfect Western road trip so far. They got two goals from Anthony Mantha as well as tallies from captain Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin, and Egor Chinakhov.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 30 of 32 Edmonton shots on the night, while Oilers' netminder - and ex-Penguin - Tristan Jarry stopped just 16 of 22 shots.
This was an impressive win for the Penguins, who have largely struggled against the Oilers. In fact, they were 2-8 in their last 10 games against Edmonton coming into Thursday's matchup.
But they came to play. And they set the tone from the start.
Just 2:20 into the game, Justin Brazeau found Anthony Mantha crashing the net off the rush, feeding him a pass that he put home to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Then, just 22 seconds later, Mantha - again - was sprung by Brazeau, this time on a breakaway. Mantha beat Jarry backhand and put the Penguins up by two early.
And they weren't done. Only 15 seconds after that goal, Ryan Shea floated a shot-pass toward the slot area, where Sidney Crosby was waiting to redirect it. Crosby successfully found the back of the net on the deflection, and within 35 seconds, the Penguins had scored three on the Oilers and had a commanding early lead.
The @penguins tallied three goals in a span of 37 seconds.
There have only been two other instances in franchise history where Pittsburgh scored three goals in a shorter span:
The Oilers did respond early in the second period, as Jake Walman capitalized on a shorthanded odd-man break from the slot to cut the lead to 3-1. But the Penguins never really let up, even if the Oilers were getting a few chances. Later in the period, the Penguins put on the extra attacker on a delayed penalty call, and Rickard Rakell sniped a shot from the left circle past Jarry after a gorgeous feed from Evgeni Malkin to restore the three-goal lead.
Then, just under two minutes later, Malkin had a breakaway opportunity, and he beat Jarry five-hole on the backhand to put Pittsburgh up, 5-1.
The Penguins still had more in the tank, too. Early in the final frame, Tommy Novak carried the puck from the neutral zone into offensive zone traffic, and he managed to forward the puck to a breaking Chinakhov down the left side. The 24-year-old Russian winger placed a bullet of a shot top-shelf for his fifth goal in 12 games as a Penguin to make it 6-1.
Matt Savoie did add a late tally for the Oilers, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Penguins were able to shut down Edmonton late and not give them anything to work with. They also managed to blank both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who was playing in his first game since Jan. 15 after attending to family matter in Germany.
Sure, the Oilers had a few chances, and some puck luck didn't go their way. But there was never really a point in the game, aside from a late power play in the first period, where it felt like they were in control. The Penguins were frustrating the heck out of them. They were disrupting plays and getting their sticks on everything. Their goaltender was making big saves, and their defensemen were blocking shots.
The Penguins' stick detail around their own net and in the defensive zone as a whole has been wildly impressive since the holiday break, and that continued into Thursday. They didn't give the Oilers much in terms of high-danger chances - save for a five-on-one opportunity that Edmonton managed to botch entirely - and they largely controlled possession.
The all-around game from the Penguins right now is something to marvel at. In October, they were scoring at a ridiculous rate while still displaying some warts on defense. Now, those warts are all but gone, and the Penguins are all of a sudden a pretty dangerous hockey team.
- Anytime the Penguins have a bit of an onslaught, it seems like Crosby doesn't show up on the scoresheet much. The same thing happened on Thursday, as the captain only recorded one point.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The Penguins are getting contributions from up and down their lineup, and it seems to be a different line every single night. The fourth line has had their flowers. On Thursday, it was the third line. Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, it was the second line.
The Penguins not needing to rely on their first line for production - which has been a consistent theme for the previous three seasons - is a very big deal. And it's simply a bonus when Crosby, Rakell, and Bryan Rust are clicking, too.
This team can roll four lines, and they're all a threat to deliver on offense. That's a massive development.
- I think I've mentioned Chinakhov in just about every takeaways piece.
But, wow, was that shot something else.
Chinakhov sniped that one top-shelf, and it was in and out so fast that no one - including Jarry himself - even realized it went in other than Chinakhov and Ryan Shea.
I have no idea what was going on in Columbus or why things didn't work out for Chinakhov there. But between his unrivaled shot, his speed, his defensive conscience, and awareness in all three zones, this guy is legitimate.
What a get by Dubas. A guy with a shot like that isn't good by accident.
- Malkin was, once again, flying on Thursday. He now has 39 points in 35 games this season, and he, Chinakhov, and Novak are operating from the stratosphere right now.
He's hit another level. And he deserves another contract next season if that's what he wants.
- Jack St. Ivany deserves a lot of credit for how he's played in these last couple of games. Not only is that two multi-point games in a row, he also blocked a shot with his left foot on that late first-period power play by the Oilers, and he was in substantial pain afterward. He wasn't putting weight on his leg and was forced to continue his shift.
Well, he finished his shift by contributing to a zone clear then finally making his way to the bench, when he went down the runway. He returned for the second period and played the rest of the game.
That was a pivotal block in this game, and he's been much, much better in the last couple. Hopefully, that can continue.
One of the gutsiest shifts you'll see all season in the @NHL
- Much has been made about Stuart Skinner's run with the Penguins as of late, and deservedly so.
But Silovs deserves his flowers, too.
Walman's goal is probably one he'd want to have back. But, otherwise, this was one of the best games he has played as a Penguin. There was a sequence just before the end of the first period when Zach Hyman crashed the net on a breakaway and nearly tucked the puck in. Silovs stopped it with his right pad against the post, but the puck was laying on the goal line.
Instead of panicking, Silovs maneuvered carefully and allowed defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to aid him with his stick, and he managed to not let the puck cross the goal line.
Silovs has been much better as of late, as three of his last four appearances have seen save percentages of .920 or above. But he has a knack for coming up big in the game's biggest moments, and he did that again Thursday.
If the Penguins can continue to get this goaltending from their tandem, they'll be fine the rest of the way - and they may just have a run in them.
Jan 22, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save on on Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
- So, let's talk about these Penguins.
They're playing well defensively. They're getting scoring from up and down their lineup. They're getting good goaltending. They're top-five in both special teams categories.
At this point, it might be okay to say that this is, simply, a good hockey team.
Nothing they're doing is by accident anymore. They're not on a PDO bender. They're not getting lucky. They're not just opportunistic.
No. They're legitimately outplaying some of the best hockey teams in the league at five-on-five, and they're not only outplaying them, they're outworking them and controlling the vast majority of the 60 minutes per game.
The process is there for this hockey team. The underlying metrics support that, too, and I'll have a piece on that Friday. They are playing a sustainable brand of hockey, and it happens to be a winning brand of hockey.
Now, we shouldn't just be talking playoffs. This team could very much compete for the division. They're two points ahead of the New York Islanders for second place in the Metro, six points in front of the next divisional team in the Philadelphia Flyers, and just six points back of the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand.
This isn't a mirage. This is real. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a competitive hockey team, and if they can keep this up, it may be okay to set sights even higher by the end of the regular season.
