Penguins Play the Sharks, They Need Ethan Bear, and Jim Rutherford's Poor Decision Making
Welcome to the THW Pittsburgh Penguins Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Penguins writers.
We look at tonight’s (Nov. 4) matchup against the lowly San Jose Sharks, whether the Penguins should go after free agent Ethan Bear to shore up their defense, and the downstream effects of Jim Rutherford.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Penguins Gameday Preview: San Jose Sharks 11/04/23
November 4, 2023 by George Majchrzak
October did not go as planned for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a roster revamp that saw ten new players on the 2023-24 opening night roster from a year prior, including former San Jose Shark Erik Karlsson, expectations were high. The offense was expected to click, and they were supposed to be well on their way to returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, they find themselves with a 3-6-0 record, and they are currently eighth in the Atlantic Division and dead last in the Eastern Conference standings.
In their last game on Monday (Oct. 30), the Penguins hoped to get back on track against the Anaheim Ducks on home ice. They did hold two leads in the game but couldn’t hold on. The Ducks tied the game early in the third period and eventually won the game 4-3 when Mason McTavish left the penalty box and scored a breakaway shorthanded goal with 13 seconds left in regulation. That they couldn’t capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play only made matters worse for the Penguins, and both Evgeni Malkin and Tristan Jarry owned the mistakes on the play and apologized.
Tonight (Nov. 4), the Penguins visit the Sharks, another team off to a slow start. Unlike the Penguins, however, expectations were not high for the Sharks. But even though they expected this rebuilding season to land them with a draft lottery pick, they did not expect to start 0-9-1. With the Sharks facing possibly the worst record in NHL history, the Penguins are looking to turn things around.
Pittsburgh Penguins Need Ethan Bear
November 4, 2023 by Mike Cranwell
As of this writing on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, there are some surprises when looking at the NHL standings.
In the Atlantic, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in sixth place (out of eight teams) and on a two-game losing streak. Beside them, the Buffalo Sabres are in seventh place, for those who thought this year was their time to rise (and it may yet be).
In the Pacific, 2022-23 playoff teams the Seattle Kraken and Edmonton Oilers are fifth and sixth respectively, dealing with injuries and poor starts alike.
It could be argued though, that there is no more surprising team in the standings in either direction than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are both last in their division and are tied for the fifth least points in the league right now. Yes, as of this moment, the Penguins are a lottery team, one that would have a chance at the first overall pick.
They still have that pick, right?
Checks CapFriendly (who if you’re a returning reader we’re sure is right on the verge of sponsoring these articles)
They don’t, except the pick is top-10 protected. This is why Kyle Dubas is heading up all things hockey ops.
Speaking of Dubas, let’s put on our general manager (GM) cap, because if a team this talented is near the bottom of the standings, something must change.
Since we had such a strong – and palpable – response to the idea of signing Jesse Puljujarvi for the bottom-six, let’s put on our hockey ops hat and look at another free agent Pittsburgh should be eyeing.
Penguins Starting to See Effects of Rutherford’s Poor Decision Making
November 4, 2023 by Nick Horwat (Archive)
Year after year, each team in the NHL grapples with the question of where they stand in terms of contending for the Stanley Cup. Teams like the Buffalo Sabres are stuck in a floundering state in the league’s basement, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have a seemingly unbeatable squad.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had their own issues with where they stand on this meter for the past few seasons. A team that features Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will always be in the Cup conversation, but those two won’t be around forever. In fact, and this may feel frightening to hockey fans, we’re closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.