Justin Guerriero stories, Page 24
Penguins announce new hire to hockey research and development staff
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Wells Oliver as the club’s new director of hockey systems Tuesday afternoon. Oliver, who joins the Penguins after 15 years with the San Diego Padres of MLB, most recently serving as vice president of baseball systems, will report to Jonathan Erlichman, vice president of hockey research,...
Reports: Former Pirates reliever Aroldis Chapman signs with Boston
Hard-throwing left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman signed with the Boston Red Sox, according to multiple news reports. Chapman, who joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 on a one-year deal, seemed to confirm the news, posting to social media platform X in a Red Sox cap. Per ESPN, Chapman’s deal with Boston...
Will Oregon become 1st Penn State opponent to neutralize Tyler Warren?
At the start of this week, Penn State coach James Franklin and his Oregon counterpart, Dan Lanning, said they weren’t yet neck-deep in film preparation for the Big Ten championship. That’ll change rapidly as Saturday’s kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis nears, with both teams doing their utmost to...
Penn State’s James Franklin narrows focus ahead of Big Ten championship game
For Penn State and coach James Franklin, there are plenty of factors at work making this week feel both routine and anything but. The No. 3 Nittany Lions have another game Saturday, as has been the case for the majority of weekends dating to the end of August. But their...
‘We earned it’: Preparation for Oregon in Big Ten title game begins immediately for Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State coach James Franklin had some bad news to share with players in the aftermath of the Nittany Lions’ 44-7 win over Maryland on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Any plans for a lazy Sunday were canceled. Instead, it would be a full day of work and...
Penn State routs Maryland, punching ticket to Big Ten title game
UNIVERSITY PARK — Before Penn State kicked off against Maryland on Saturday afternoon, coach James Franklin said he and his team heard the big news out of Columbus, Ohio, with No. 2 Ohio State falling to Michigan in both teams’ regular-season finales. But the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions had business of...
Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci to return to bench following medical procedure
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan announced Nov. 18 that assistant Mike Vellucci would be sidelined for approximately a week following an unspecified minor medical procedure. On Wednesday, Sullivan revealed that Vellucci will rejoin the rest of the staff behind the bench when the Vancouver Canucks visit PPG Paints Arena. Vellucci...
Penguins to start Tristan Jarry vs. Vancouver; Blake Lizotte a game-time decision
Tristan Jarry is scheduled to start in net for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday evening when the Vancouver Canucks visit PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan revealed his starting netminder after his club’s morning skate in Cranberry. Through six starts, Jarry is 1-3-1 with a 4.41 goals-against average and .869...
Penguins place winger Valtteri Puustinen on waivers
In addressing what Pittsburgh Penguins winger Valtteri Puustinen could do to better distinguish himself, coach Mike Sullivan recently offered a lengthy answer. “I think he needs to make an impact and not just blend in to the hockey game,” Sullivan said Monday. “When (Puustinen) is at his best, he’s conscientious...
Penguins’ Blake Lizotte, Cody Glass navigate frustrating concussion recovery process
Across sports, concussions rank among the more frustrating injuries for athletes to suffer, in large part because of the nonlinear nature of the recovery process. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte is working his way back from a concussion suffered Nov. 13 vs. the Detroit Red Wings when a puck struck...
Penn State focused on closing out regular season
James Franklin is under no illusions as to what his alternate reality would have looked like had Penn State dropped Saturday’s road game at Minnesota. That’s because Franklin would be shouldering a lion’s share of the blame. With 3 minutes, 47 seconds to play and Penn State up 26-25, the...
Penguins reassign forward Sam Poulin to AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Sam Poulin to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League Monday following a team practice in Cranberry. Poulin, the Penguins’ first-round (No. 21 overall) draft pick in 2019, skated in a career-high six NHL contests this season after playing in three both in 2022-23 and 2023-24....
Kevin Hayes returns to Penguins’ lineup as club attempts to pull out of tailspin
Kevin Hayes has not enjoyed the experience of having to watch from the press box as the Pittsburgh Penguins navigate an early-season tailspin. Hayes, who suffered an unspecified upper-body injury Nov. 5, returned to the Penguins’ lineup Saturday vs. Utah Hockey Club, but he missed the eight previous games as...
Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering earns promotion to top pairing
Ryan Shea probably could say he knows Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering better than most in the club’s locker room. Pickering, 20, was promoted to the NHL just over a week ago, and through his first three games, had paired with Shea. Naturally, Pickering and Shea have conversed quite...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby scores 600th career goal in 2nd period vs. UtahVideo
Both symbolically, as one of the most important figures in Pittsburgh Penguins franchise history, and statistically, as arguably the most gifted all-around player of his generation, Sidney Crosby walks on the same ground as Mario Lemieux. With his 600th career goal Saturday against Utah Hockey Club at PPG Paints Arena,...
Penguins activate Kevin Hayes from injured reserve, send Vasily Ponomarev to AHL
Ahead of their Saturday night home game against Utah Hockey Club, the Pittsburgh Penguins activated forward Kevin Hayes from injured reserve. Hayes has missed the past eight games with an unspecified injury and last suited up Nov. 5 against the New York Islanders. In 14 games, the 32-year-old has three...
Penguins teammates commend Sidney Crosby for fight vs. Winnipeg’s Kyle ConnorVideo
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is known for many things, such as possessing perhaps the most refined 200-foot game of his generation, elite passing skills and a wicked backhand. A propensity for dropping the gloves, however, not so much. Yet, the 37-year-old fought 6-foot-1 winger Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg...
Pirates non-tender Connor Joe, Bryan De La Cruz, acquire reliever from Guardians
In a series of roster moves Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates non-tendered outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Connor Joe and righty reliever Hunter Stratton and acquired 30-year-old righty reliever Peter Strzelecki from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations. De La Cruz, 28, was a major trade acquisition for...
Kris Letang, Kevin Hayes game-time decisions vs. Jets; Tristan Jarry scheduled to start
The Pittsburgh Penguins may return a pair of veterans to their lineup Friday night for a showdown at PPG Paints Arena against the NHL’s best club. Defenseman Kris Letang, who has missed three games because of illness, and forward Kevin Hayes, who is on injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment,...
With 10th victory within reach, Penn State hopes to maintain momentum vs. Minnesota
Slow starts have been a recurring theme this season for Penn State. The first case of a sluggish beginning came in Week 2 against Bowling Green, with the Nittany Lions needing to dig themselves out of a halftime hole against a Mid-American Conference foe. From there, Penn State navigated through...
Penguins’ Drew O’Connor adjusts to life at center; Bryan Rust tapped as temporary alternate captain
Drew O’Connor offered a self-critique about his game earlier this week, specifically regarding a recent change to his nightly duties, having been deployed at center as opposed to the wing. “There’s definitely some things I can continue to work on — faceoffs being one of them,” O’Connor said. “That’s probably...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes edged by Chris Sale for NL Cy Young Award
Shortly after capturing National League Rookie of the Year honors Monday, Paul Skenes weighed in on Wednesday’s Cy Young Award reveal, for which he was also a finalist. “I have a feeling (Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Chris) Sale’s got it pretty locked up,” Skenes told reporters on a conference call....
Penguins’ Jesse Puljujarvi finds net after switch to left wingVideo
Jesse Puljujarvi couldn’t put his finger on exactly how many of his 374 career NHL games involved him being deployed at left wing, other than admitting it has been with far less frequency as compared to the right side. Regardless, on the left is where coach Mike Sullivan has seen...
Penguins to start Tristan Jarry vs. Tampa Bay
The Pittsburgh Penguins will turn to Tristan Jarry on Tuesday night vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan revealed his starting netminder following the club’s morning skate in Cranberry. Jarry is 1-2-0 with a 5.36 goals-against average and .847 save percentage this season. He is...
Paul Skenes captures NL Rookie of the Year honorsVideo
That Paul Skenes’ first MLB campaign was abbreviated, owing to his mid-May call-up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, threatened to weigh him down when individual accolades were on the table. Ultimately, a fashionably late arrival to the big leagues mattered little to the commissioner’s office and Skenes’ MLB peers, who voted...
