Dan’s Daily: Buffalo GM Disses City; No Miller Trade; Penguins Rock

The Pittsburgh Penguins found it. Whether it’s for one night, a brief window, or getting roughed up for two months shoved them toward their best game, they finally found their best Saturday in a resounding 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. We’ve got the full coverage, as well as some hard-hitting analysis about the rough shape of the Penguins’ blue line. Elsewhere in the Daily, you can stop reading the NHL trade rumors on the matter because there will be NO J.T. Miller trade. The same goes for Brady Tkachuk. And in a story I can’t stop chuckling over, Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams candidly dissed Buffalo when explaining why he doesn’t get top free agents.

Some tidbits:

It’s funny that Adams unintentionally tossed some shade toward Buffalo because a player recently did the same in a casual (off the record) chat. No, I can’t tell you who or what team, but the gritty city can’t escape the harsh conditions and Albany politics (which can be just as economically harsh). The NHL must figure out a workaround for some of the high-tax areas because players simply won’t go there unless they have no other options. Would you forfeit an extra $500,000 annually or a few million of your life’s work to live in Buffalo?

I love the smell of warm Cheerios near the arena when the cereal factory is going, but not that much. Since most players don’t claim Buffalo as home, I wonder if more players should claim No-Tax states as home and if the NHL could front money for large signing bonuses (or NIL payments) to guaranteed NHL deals while the players are legally living in the low-tax spots during the offseason. Some workaround could level the playing field before Florida becomes an annual power by signing free agents to smaller deals that net more income.

Also, I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be out cold at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning, though I missed by about 15 minutes. After an XL-size Red Bull on the drive home from NYC and three cups of coffee during the game, I got through it all and hopefully posted some cogent content. I got home around 12:15, sat down in the official National Hockey Now CEO’s office (my tattered recliner) to prep for today’s work, and passed out, media credential still around my neck.

If you haven’t read our Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coverage, it’s in the PHN+ section. Also, the talented Penguins’ play-by-play announcer Nick Hart has taken to calling their performances when I visit the “Kingerski curse.” Vasily Ponomarev had a hat trick last night but was invisible on Wednesday during my visit. Yep, the curse is real! I still evaluated everyone fairly–the Half Price Cyber Monday Sale ENDS TODAY AT NOON! It’s the LAST CHANCE to get the exclusive content for just $19.99 a year — subscribe here.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours. The Penguins were a steaming wheelbarrow full of mushroom food Friday, but genuinely played like it mattered for 60 minutes Saturday in a 5-2 win. Dave Molinari’s Penguins recap.

Philip Tomasino was unavailable on Saturday. You may have missed up (a lot of us did), but Rangers forward Sam Carrick elbowed Tomasino up high just after he released the shot that tied the game. Here’s the video of the borderline hit and the Tomasino story.

The report card section is shockingly upbeat. The players weren’t happy or exuberant after their win. It was something entirely different. The best way I can describe the locker room mood is “jacked up” or “pumped.” The game intensity was still in the room–many of the guys would have gone out to play again. Here’s what they did well, how they did it, and who did it–the Penguins report card.

You can view the locker room video on the PHN YouTube channel.

Following weeks of malaise, I ripped a terse column that spared no feelings. I think it holds up today despite a solid game. The Penguins’ biggest problem hasn’t been goaltending or depth scoring, and not coaching, either. The greatest obstacle that has sabotaged the season has been the Penguins’ defense.

Watch: Here is the five-minute Penguins postgame analysis.

And the PHN Car Talk. On the way back from NY, we discussed the Penguins’ blue line and Coach Mike Sullivan’s lineup decisions, including Jesse Puljujarvi and goaltending. The Penguins Q&A.

Geez, we do a lot of work, eh?

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet/HNIC: NO, the Vancouver Canucks will not trade J.T. Miller, Brady Tkachuk isn’t on the market, and more thoughts by Elliotte Friedman.

Buffalo Hockey Now: “We’re not a destination city,” Adams said. He also said Buffalo doesn’t have palm trees and has high taxes. Whoops. Adams is getting defensive about the Buffalo Sabres struggles.

Detroit Hockey Now: Why are the Penguins still in the playoff hunt? Five losses in a row with an all-too-familiar storyline for the Detroit Red Wings.

NY Post: Larry Brooks reported the Tkachuk trade talk but otherwise indicated that more changes are afoot for the New York Rangers, and it won’t stop with the Jacob Trouba trade. There’s more coming.