The Pittsburgh Penguins’ loss to the Montreal Canadiens is going to hang over practice, and probably for a while after that. A stern Dan Muse is expected on the ice, lineup changes could be coming, and the bigger question is what happens next for a team that keeps looking like it has run out of answers.
Saturday’s result wasn’t just another bad night. The postgame reaction from Montreal made that clear, and the analysis afterward went straight at the roster construction and the case for leaning fully into youth.
The scoreboard may have suggested a close game, but even Sidney Crosby seemed to wave that off in the moment. The game recap and the goals breakdown both pointed to the same thing: another Penguins mess, another night where the details and the bigger picture were equally ugly.
There were a couple of milestones buried in the wreckage. Erik Karlsson moved into ninth place on the all-time scoring list among defensemen.
Crosby tied Marcel Dionne for sixth all-time in points and became the all-time leader in assists for a single franchise. Those are the kinds of numbers that would normally dominate the conversation.
Instead, neither player sounded satisfied after the game.
A Q&A is coming this morning, and another one is planned later this week for PHN+ subscribers. There haven’t been complaints lately, though the way questions are handled has changed because the work is being done from a different platform now. A post on the website will go up for questions about that one.
Elsewhere around the league, the Nikita Kucherov situation in Tampa Bay remains stuck in place. Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet Video that the Lightning and Kucherov have gone into a cone of silence after his trade demand, and people who know Kucherov believe it’s unlikely he changes his mind. That same segment also brought more movement on Dylan Larkin, who is expected to amend his current 10-team wish list within the next 24 hours.
That Larkin situation is already pulling in other teams. The Minnesota Wild want him badly, but they only have futures to offer, and Detroit doesn’t want futures. Anthony Di Marco also reported that the Philadelphia Flyers are interested in being the third team that helps make a deal work.
The trade chatter doesn’t stop there. Friedman also said the Carolina Hurricanes were interested in signing Simon Edvinsson to an offer sheet, but the plan came with a wrinkle: they were going to trade him to a third team. Around the league, there are more NHL trade rumors floating around as the market keeps shifting.
On the ice, Tristan Jarry has suddenly put together back-to-back shutouts, a development that didn’t exactly feel predictable. Connor McDavid, meanwhile, has assists in 14 straight games, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the New York Islanders. Edmonton is a wagon.
Detroit’s own on-ice problems kept piling up too. In the wake of the Larkin fiasco, the Red Wings played on and then cratered in the third period Saturday, adding yet another loss to the pile.
There was also a strong reaction from Nicklas Lidstrom, who is unhappy about the international court forcing the IIHF to re-admit Russia to hockey activities. Lidstrom went so far as to call for a boycott from the hockey world.
And in Colorado, the stars did what stars are supposed to do. Cale Makar had four assists, and the Avalanche rolled over Calgary.
In Other News...
Penguins Defensive Meltdowns Wasted Another Crosby-Led Comeback Push
The Penguins got another lift from Sidney Crosby and another reminder that the comeback effort alone is not enough when the defensive structure wobbles. In Montreal, Pittsburgh fell 5-4 to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, a game that again turned on how quickly the Penguins could recover after giving away momentum and how little margin they had once the Canadiens found their rhythm.
Sergei Murashov was back in net for his first start since Oct. 17, and the night did not deliver the reset the Penguins were hoping for. Dan Muse did win a goaltender interference challenge along the way, but the result still left Pittsburgh searching for answers around its crease and left Murashov still without a victory this season as the losses keep piling up in tight games. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Created A New Opening For Rutger McGroarty
Rutger McGroarty is back with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for now, and the move gives the Penguins a little more breathing room as they sort through the early part of their roster. Since making his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season, the young forward has already gotten into 34 games with Pittsburgh, scoring four goals and nine points, while also showing in the AHL that he can drive offense and hold his own over longer stretches.
For the Penguins, the assignment is less about closing the book on McGroarty than keeping him in the mix. He has been productive in the minors across two seasons, and his development remains one of the more interesting subplots on the roster. The open spot in Pittsburgh adds another layer to watch as the team continues to manage its forward group and decide when the next opportunity should come. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Got Caught In The Kind Of Game That Exposes Everything
The Penguins got dragged into exactly the kind of game that can make a team look brilliant and vulnerable in the same breath. Montreal kept pushing the pace and found offense from across the lineup, with Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson, Alexandre Texier and Chris Kreider all part of a night that kept the pressure on Pittsburgh from start to finish.
For the Canadiens, the road version of their game has looked more controlled than the looser, less disciplined style they have shown at home, and that showed up again in a result that tested Pittsburgh in every zone. The Penguins were left chasing a game that kept opening up, which is the sort of night that exposes defensive cracks and leaves a lot to sort through afterward. [Read more 🡒]