Dan’s Daily: Angry Rangers Trade Talk; Capitals Own-Goal; Penguins Win?!

It’s been a minute since the Pittsburgh Penguins won a game. Not since they beat the San Jose Sharks at PPG Paints Arena has the team been able to smile about the result in the locker room. We’ll just sweep the nearly blown four-goal lead under the rug for the day. We’ve got the locker room coverage and full analysis. And don’t look now, but coach Mike Sullivan made sweeping changes to the lineup, too. Elsewhere in the Daily, the NHL trade rumors are swirling around the New York Rangers as there is tension and trade rumors, and should Marc-Andre Fleury get some Team Canada love?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And thanks for the few clicks today. It’s been a banner month for Pittsburgh Hockey Now, and we’re on pace to have our best of 2024. It’s been a brutal slog since the multi-colored tech giant decided to attack independent publishers and then lost control of their AI-driven algorithm in some kind of science fiction nightmare that’s played out in real life. But we survived. This year, I’m most thankful for that fact and for you making it possible.

Now then, there’s an opinion I want to share without writing a giant column about it: The atmosphere at PPG. It’s been one of the least enthusiastic in the league for many years running, even going back to the Cup years. From the somber Anthem sing-along that has the pep of 7 a.m. mass on a Thursday morning to the near silence during games and beat the traffic folks who bounce with 10 minutes to go regardless of the score, the attending fans haven’t built a good culture. So, as the last of the “be seen ” crowd shuffles off because the team is no longer great, take the opportunity to rebuild. Inject some life without waiting for a giant stuffed animal to bang a drum or the scoreboard to offer you ice cream to dance.

Hate the opponents beyond just the smattering of boos during warmup. Chant Sidney Crosby’s name as much as you can, even without reason (because you won’t be able to forever). Chant for Evgeni Malkin or, heck, Ryan Shea just because you can. It just takes one person–see also: “Where is Rutger?” chants in Winnipeg. Go nuts. Have some fun. Pittsburgh sports were built on crazy fans like Franco’s Italian Army, Gerela’s Gorillas, and silly polkas even before Super Bowl trophies arrived. The Penguins’ fanbase was built on someone dressing up as Elvis, an usher ripping off his shirt, and absolutely shaking that old arena to the foundation. Now that tickets on the aftermarket are getting pretty cheap make the place YOURS. Once that fire starts, it spreads. I know you can do it.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s the game recap from start to finish. A 1-1 game fairly quickly became a 5-1 game, but also just as quickly became a 5-4 game with a high pucker factor. Here are the full details of the Penguins win.

And the report card. It has some nuggets in there about how/why the Penguins looked just a bit different on Wednesday. We break down the key differences and the reasons the “scarred” Penguins looked like a competent hockey team for most of the game in the Penguins report card.

And more on the sweeping changes that coach Mike Sullivan is bringing to the Penguins lineup.

Oh by the way, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was scouting the Calgary Flames vs, Detroit Red Wings game last night. In addition to several visits to Montreal (which doesn’t have an easy flight to and from), Dubas had also checked out Nashville Predators games. Hello, Philip Tomasino.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

TSN: Tension, angst and anger. Oh, let’s add a good dash of some trade rumors, too. A lot is going on, and the New York Rangers veterans are both admitting it and acknowledging that they’re probably available on the market.

Ohhhhhh, Charlie isn’t going to live this one down for a while. The Capitals goalie dunked the punk in his own net.

CHARLIE LINDGREN JUST SHOT THE PUCK INTO HIS OWN NET 😳 pic.twitter.com/TW3XkKrxqy

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 28, 2024

The Capitals rallied to beat Tampa Bay and laughed it off afterward. Here’s the Capitals’ postgame locker room.

Sportsnet: Wow, Adam Vinigan has the receipts on just how bad the Penguins have been this season. They’ve allowed a goal within 10 seconds of a turnover 36 times?! The responses, the analytics, and a deep dive into the awfulness of the Penguins’ first 23 games.

TSN Video: Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill seem to lock in as the first two goalies for Team Canada in the Four Nations Face-Off, but what about the third? And should more people be pushing for Marc-Andre Fleury to be that guy?

Uh, yes.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Despite a pretty good season so far, coach Sheldon Keefe isn’t letting the boys get comfy. After a bad loss to St. Louis, Keefe unapologetically ripped his New Jersey Devils.

Florida Hockey Now: Florida is as good as they want to be. Lose a few games in a row? The head coach jumps on the grenade, and no one seems to worry. Wednesday, it was back to business as usual. The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs came to town, and the Florida Panthers simply squashed them.

Detroit Hockey Now: That dreaded Thanksgiving playoff curse. If your team is out of the playoffs today, then they have only a 25% chance of making it to Lord Stanley’s Ball. After years of rebuilding, it’s time for Motown to start making the playoffs. They’re also outside the playoff seeds, but the Detroit Red Wings scoff.