Pittsburgh visits Tampa Bay after Rust's 2-goal game
Associated Press
Pittsburgh Penguins (29-32-11, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (40-25-5, in the Atlantic Division)
Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning after Bryan Rust's two-goal game against the Florida Panthers in the Penguins' 4-3 shootout loss.
Tampa Bay has a 24-8-2 record in home games and a 40-25-5 record overall. The Lightning are 38-7-2 in games they score at least three goals.
Pittsburgh has an 11-18-6 record on the road and a 29-32-11 record overall. The Penguins have given up 255 goals while scoring 212 for a -43 scoring differential.
The teams meet Tuesday for the third time this season. The Lightning won 5-2 in the previous matchup. Nikita Kucherov led the Lightning with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brayden Point has 34 goals and 34 assists for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has seven goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Sidney Crosby has 25 goals and 53 assists for the Penguins. Rickard Rakell has scored six goals and added six assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.7 assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Penguins: 5-3-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.1 assists, 2.3 penalties and 5.5 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game.
INJURIES: Lightning: None listed.
Penguins: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
Scouting the Penguins' 2025 NHL Draft first-round picks on film: High IQ, grit and big upside
Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas walked into the NHL Draft on Friday with two first-round picks and 11 picks overall. He ended it with three first-round picks and 13 picks overall. Dubas said he went into the night intending to move up, but I like the approach of buying as many lottery tickets as possible for two reasons: Only about 12 percent of draft picks play in more than 100 career NHL games, and the Penguins' prospect pool was dire when Dubas took over. This year marks the first time since 1984 that Pittsburgh has taken three players in the first round, and while they won't match that draft's grand prize of Mario Lemieux, they ended the first night of the 2025 draft with a wide variety of playing styles. Let's take a closer look at Benjamin Kindel, Bill Zonnon and William Horcoff. • Pick: No. 11 • Position: Center • Team: Calgary (WHL) • Shoots: Right • Birthdate: April 19, 2007 • Height, weight: 5 feet 10 inches, 176 pounds The Penguins got a great look at Benjamin Kindel this year, given that he became linemates with 2024 Penguins second-round pick Tanner Howe after Howe's trade to Calgary from the Regina Pats in November of last season. The two immediately found chemistry together and, alongside Oliver Tulk, became one of the most formidable lines in the Western Hockey League. Advertisement Penguins fans may be familiar with Howe's mean streak and aggressive approach. It perfectly complements most of what Kindel does himself. Kindel is one of the more difficult players to play against in this class, and not because of his physicality. Kindel is one of the smartest and most defensively adept players in this draft class. When I began watching him this fall, I was shocked by how much of his offense was born out of his work on his half of the red line. Kindel is downright masterful at reading a play. He stalks his half of the ice like a shark, making read-based adjustments to his zone coverage and pouncing all over passes and players with an active stick. Kindel doesn't have to be physical to be effective defensively — most of the time, he's coming downhill to intercept a pass, no contact necessary. Once Kindel takes control of the puck, that's when the show begins. Kindel is a top-10 puck manipulator in this draft class. He exhibited an ability to calmly dangle the puck under duress throughout the season and operates with precision in tightly contested areas. You rarely see him strike the same way twice. He keeps his head up and can fool defenders with quick, no-look dish passes or sudden tempo changes that shake them off. Kindel's shot is another problem for the opposition. It's a quick release with a fast, whipping motion. He doesn't need to settle pucks down to let them loose. When he has time and space to bend down and shoot off the back of his blade, he gets a lot of velocity and rise on his shot. He's also patient and unafraid to wait for his angle or let a goalie drop before making his move. So, what's the catch? Size is the obvious one. Despite his high IQ and tenacious defense, it's tough to envision Kindel playing his style in the NHL without bulking up, which I do expect to happen. Added power will go a long way towards making him a better skater. However, I don't agree with reports that his skating is a deficiency. I've seen how quickly he can manipulate or cut his way out of danger. He might be missing some burst, but that will come with a larger frame and added lower-body strength. Overall, I was more than impressed with Kindel this year. Check out the tangible examples of his hockey IQ in this video I've cut: • Pick: No. 22 • Position: Right wing • Team: Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) • Shoots: Left • Birthdate: Oct. 23, 2006 • Height, weight: 6-2, 187 pounds If I made a list of the players I most enjoyed watching this season, Bill Zonnon would be near — or at — the top. He caught my eye last fall, when he went on a 23-game point streak and dominated November in the QMJHL. I had Zonnon at No. 24 in my draft ranking, so his No. 22 selection isn't a stretch. Advertisement When Rouyn-Noranda head coach Steve Hartley needed something good to happen, he put Zonnon on the ice. More often than not, Zonnon delivered with a high-tempo forecheck that caused a turnover, a check in the neutral zone to turn a play the other way, or a timely goal. Zonnon has been said to be a poor skater, but I've seen him barreling around on the forecheck. His skating, while not the most attractive, is still effective. He can cut and edge his way around. His top speed is probably his best asset, but his skating could be cleaner and more efficient. It's not very refined, but it works well enough for his playing style. Zonnon causes a lot of presence-based turnovers. Defensemen frequently make rushed, uncomfortable plays as he bears down on them. His closing speed and willingness to sacrifice his body wear down defensemen by attrition. Zonnon is the type of player who makes defensemen tap out on puck retrievals. He thrived in the playoffs, which I tried to capture in the video below. Playoff upticks in tempo and physicality fit his game well. His best offensive tool is his shot — particularly his powerful wrister — which he gets to by hunting open space and refusing to concede possession in puck battles. He gets rise off his shot from short distances and picked a ton of corners this year as a result. Many times, Zonnon simply overpowered goaltenders' glove hands, even when they knew where he was going to shoot it. With experience at wing and center, Zonnon could grow into a monster presence on a second line. At minimum, Zonnon's energy, work ethic and forechecking should be enough for him to be a bottom-six forward with puck skill. He's low-risk, and I think people will walk away from development camp talking about him the most. • Pick: No. 24 • Position: Center • Team: Michigan (NCAA) • Shoots: Left • Birthdate: Jan. 23, 2007 • Height, weight: 6-4, 190 pounds Dubas finished his first round by trading up to grab William Horcoff, son of ex-NHL forward Shawn Horcoff and a new arrival to the University of Michigan. Horcoff turned to the NCAA after struggling to find a role and identity with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Advertisement Leaving the U.S. NTDP was the right decision. Horcoff debuted for Michigan in the outdoor game at Wrigley Field against Ohio State, against whom he scored a goal and an assist. That set him on the right path and put him on the first-round radar. 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New York Times
16 hours ago
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about Penguins' free agency, NHL Draft haul and what's next
The Athletic has live coverage of NHL free agency. PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a unique position with the NHL's unrestricted free agency signing period just over 24 hours away. Pretty much every NHL team is looking to advance its respective cause when the market opens at noon ET Tuesday. The contenders — the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings — are looking to get even better. Advertisement Teams with at least some talent — the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Minneosta Wild, St. Louis Blues, Utah Mammoth, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken — are looking to add even more (foolishly nor not). 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The Penguins might well be the one NHL team not in a hurry to better itself. That's not what fans want to hear, but if you look at the big picture, it could be exciting in the long term. Come next summer, the Penguins will be another year into their rebuild. They'll have young players ready to contribute at the NHL level — by that time, there's a good chance Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke, Sergei Murashov, Joel Blomqvist and perhaps even Benjamin Kindel will form 30 percent of the Penguins' roster. And, crucially, many of those suspect contracts will be off their books. Next summer is go-time for the Penguins, at least to some extent. For now, they're sellers when everyone else is a buyer. They're being thrifty when everyone else is going on a spending spree. It's not a bad position, it just won't bear fruit quite yet. Next summer — and even in the upcoming season — teams will be cap-strapped because of what is about to happen in free agency. The Penguins will not be, and they should have leverage as a result. The Penguins will make a move or two on Tuesday and in the days to follow. Dubas won't ignore his current roster. Just don't expect any long-term deals, and don't expect many graybeards to be signed. What happened last July 1 is likely to duplicate itself this time around. As mentioned last week, remember the name Jack McBain. The Penguins really like him. He still hasn't signed with Utah. Advertisement Time will tell regarding how successful — or unsuccessful — the Penguins' 2025 draft haul was. The number of amateur GMs gauging the effectiveness of the Penguins' strategy seems to be at an all-time high. We won't know for a long time. I can tell you this much: Everyone I've spoken to within the organization is positively delighted. A lot of that is based on the team's respect for Wes Clark, who runs the show on draft weekend. Dubas scouts heavily on his own accord, and he has the final say, but Dubas' trust in Clark is well known. Clark is one of the most highly regarded hockey talent evaluators on the planet. He is known to scout the Western Hockey League with a particular enthusiasm. The WHL, you'll note, is where No. 11 draft pick Benjamin Kindel comes from. The Kindel pick came as a surprise to a lot of people. Most mock drafts had the forward going around the 20th pick. The Penguins selected him when they did primarily because Clark is a massive believer in Kindel and Dubas trusts Clark. There isn't much more to it than that. Team sources told me Clark believes Kindel was one of the 10 best players in the draft. So, the Penguins pounced on him. Dubas noted following the first round of the draft that the Penguins had 'intel' that another team was going to draft Kindel before the Penguins were to select at No. 22. They didn't want to take the chance that he'd still be there because, frankly, they didn't think he would be. League sources told me they believe the Islanders, equipped with the 16th and 17th picks in the draft after their trade with Montreal earlier in the day, very possibly would have selected Kindel with one of those selections had he been available. The draft can be a guessing game. All GMs have been burned trying to bank on a player remaining available in a certain slot, only to see him get drafted earlier. Dubas admitted as much after the first round. In Kindel, the Penguins identified a player they simply didn't want to let get away. Advertisement Here's another reason the Penguins liked Kindel so much: He has the potential to become a star. That's going to be the final frontier for Dubas, and he knows it. If you look at the Penguins' system, they have building blocks in goal and on the blue line. Sure, they're two to four years away from making a dent in the NHL, but they're there. They also have promising forward prospects, which hasn't been the case for many years. From McGroarty and Koivunen to first-round picks Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff, the Penguins have something. These four players, while all impressive — and let's be honest, putting a ceiling on players this young is silly — probably aren't going to become stars. Sure, McGroarty and Koivunen figure to be top-six players. Zonnon is a player whom scouts universally love, but he's also often projected as a very good middle-six option. Horcoff likely projects as a good third-line center. These are great pieces to have, but where's the star power? You don't win championships without stars. Other than Sidney Crosby, the Penguins don't have any. In Kindel, the Penguins drafted a player they think has a chance to become a star because of his hockey IQ and skill. The Penguins' 2025 draft class looks more like a football team than a hockey team. That's no coincidence. Dubas doesn't like how frail the Penguins have been the past couple of years. He has a reputation for being an analytical manager who values skill over everything else. While there could be some truth to that, I assure you, Dubas wants the Penguins to get bigger and tougher. That doesn't mean he'll bring in goons left and right, and it doesn't mean he'll take the 6-foot-4 guy over the 5-10 guy by default. But the Penguins have been too easy to play against for too long, and Dubas knows it. (Photo of Benjamin Kindel and Gary Bettman: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Lightning place Conor Sheary on waivers to terminate contract. Veleno also on waivers by Kraken
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