Penguins Wrap: Suffering, Struggling & Ending the Slump

The Pittsburgh Penguins started the new year the same way they ended the old one.

By losing hockey games.

They lost outdoors, at the Winter Classic in Fenway Park.

They lost indoors, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

And finally, eight days into 2023, they were able to flip the script in Arizona and write a happy ending for the first time.

A look back at an eventful stretch to get January started:

Sunday (Jan. 1)

Do you like outdoors games? Do you hate them? No matter how you feel, Sidney Crosby is a big reason they’ve become a staple on the NHL schedule.

There’s at least one thing no player on either team seems interested in seeing during the Winter Classic between the Penguins and Boston at Fenway Park.

Defenseman Kris Letang, who sat out the Penguins’ 4-2 loss to New Jersey Friday because of an unspecified lower-body injury, accompanied his teammates to Boston, but did not participate in practice.

Kasperi Kapanen, a popular target for harsh criticism on social media, offered a scathing response to it.

Monday

The Penguins play pretty well for most of the outdoors game against Boston but not well enough to avoid a 2-1 defeat.

Dan Kingerski offers a detailed assessment of the breakdowns that made the Bruins’ game-winning goal possible.

Sidney Crosby acknowledges that the Penguins’ inability to hold leads has become troubling.

Coaching a game at Fenway Park was a big deal for Mike Sullivan, a lifelong Red Sox fan.

The Penguins announced that Kris Letang has left the team and joined his family in Montreal in the wake of his father’s death.

Tuesday

The Penguins recall goalie Dustin Tokarski from Wilkes-Barre, a pretty good indication that the injury that forced Tristan Jarry to leave the Boston game is significant and place Kris Letang on the non-roster list.

Have the Pittsburgh Penguins really been on the same page during their current 1-4-2 slump?

Wednesday

Although the Penguins have one of the NHL’s most menacing offenses, members of their top two lines haven’t been scoring at their usual level lately. What happened to the vaunted Penguins offense?

The Penguins’ locker room was uncharacteristically subdued following a workout at T-Mobile Arena.

Mike Sullivan was not impressed with at least some of what he saw from his players during the Penguins’ practice.

Tristan Jarry and Josh Archibald have returned to Pittsburgh to have their injuries evaluated.

Thursday

The Penguins had a third-period lead in 18 of their first 37 games but won only 12 of those. So, what’s the problem? (+)

Friday

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Filip Hallander, one of the Penguins’ top forward prospects. fell into the boards and was stretched off the ice. Here’s the WBS Penguins story.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins mired in their second skid in two months, Dan Kingerski calls for GM Ron Hextall to venture into the NHL trade market and shake up his roster.

Here’s the latest Tim Horton’s commercial featuring Sidney Crosby.

Saturday

The Penguins — and all hockey fans — get some encouraging news on Filip Hallander.

What kind of value would specific Pittsburgh Penguins players have on the NHL trade market?

Some players who have been struggling offensively took an interesting approach to trying to change their luck. They debuted their new looks at Penguins practice.

Sunday

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Penguins found a way to escape from their 0-4-2 slide through the standings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ performance was far from perfect, but there were some standouts and it was good enough to get them two badly needed points.

The locker-room mood was a lot lighter after the Penguins won for the first time in 2023.

The Penguins are looking for line combinations that will click. The search continues, with no end in sight. (+)