The figurative ground beneath the hockey world shook later Friday night as the NHL trade season began with a thunderous starter’s pistol when

No, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan does not hate young players. However, rookie defenseman Owen Pickering, whose surprise call-up earlier in the season was in part necessitated by a spate of injuries at the NHL and AHL levels,

The mark of inconsistency doomed the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again in their 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. And, despite controlling large portions of play yet again, their defense let them down.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in trouble. They lost four of the five games on their crucial homestand despite holding their last two opponents to only two shots each in the first period.

Elite defensive statistics should not be expected of teams that lead the league in goals allowed per game. The Pittsburgh Penguins owned that unfortunate distinction through 49 contests, giving up 3.59 goals per contest.

Boko Imama was one of the bright spots for Pittsburgh on Saturday in Seattle (full recap here). With Bryan Rust day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the team called up the 28-year-old forward to make sure they had enough players to field a lineup.

The Penguins forward left Saturday's game against the Kraken with a lower-body injury after colliding with Chandler Stephenson.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will once again be without top-line winger Bryan Rust, who head coach Mike Sullivan listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may be without a key forward. Head coach Mike Sullivan said Bryan Rust is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, team play-by-play announcer Jeff Getzoff reported Friday.

A nothing sort of play became a goal against after two, if not three, Pittsburgh Penguins (20-23-8) went to the wrong spots. A 2-1 game within reach became another meandering Penguins loss.

The Penguins fail to stay hot in California, getting outclassed in a 5-1 loss against the Ducks in Anaheim on Thursday.

ANAHEIM -- Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn each scored two goals for the Anaheim Ducks in a 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Honda Center on Thursday. Frank Vatrano also scored, and Troy Terry and Jacob Trouba each had two assists for the Ducks (19-23-6), who had lost four straight (0-3-1). John Gibson made 31 saves.