The Pittsburgh Penguins woke up Sunday in a playoff position, but it is tenuous. We have full coverage from PPG Paints Arena after the Penguins lost what they correctly termed a “winnable” game to the Dallas Stars. PHN also delved into the struggles of Ville Koivunen, but also how the team improved in the shootout.
Elsewhere in the Daily, the NHL is trying to be proactive as fans across the league are watching the Penguins and complaining about their own goalie interference calls. The league tried to explain GI to Elliotte Friedman. Radko Gudas is in a walking boot, but wants to play against Toronto in a couple of days so they can get their revenge. And we have the daily playoff update as the Penguins got some help from the Philadelphia Flyers and the San Jose Sharks.
Make sure you’ve taken your blood pressure meds when you read the league’s goalie interference explanations. In my sometimes humble opinion, they simply ignored or changed facts to fit their calls. It will not make you feel any better.
And here is Erik Karlsson absolutely eviscerating the referee who didn’t make the call. Watch this with earbuds.
erik karlsson yelling for 26 seconds straight (and rightfully so) pic.twitter.com/vxGy3CMCyK
— ilene ❀༉‧₊ (@genomeep) March 28, 2026
So, we’re off to New York. I’m staying in midtown Manhattan only because … there are no hotels close to UBS Arena. Shelly has practice today. Will we see Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: OK, OK, we will skip the Penguins game recap. They lost. They got hosed on what prominent Vancouver reporter Thomas Drance called one of the worst non-calls of the year, which led to the winning goal. Let’s jump straight to the game grades, which includes Erik Karlsson’s reaction to having his stick ripped out of his hands and tossed away. Karlsson is carrying the team, but others are disappearing, and we name names in the Penguins Report Card.
The Penguins recalled Rutger McGroarty and demoted Avery Hayes and Joona Koppanen Saturday, but they kept Ville Koivunen in the lineup. After several conversations with him and the coaches, I think I’m uniquely positioned to dissect his struggles, as well as some answers on how the team improved in shootouts. It’s all in our latest Penguins blog.
NHL Rumors, News, & NHN
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman spent a long time talking with the situation room regarding the two high-profile goalie interference calls last week. They gave their rulings and explained how they got there. The situation room did not feel that Anders Lee tried to stop, but Morgan Barron dumping Erik Karlsson onto the goalie was a puck battle. I must confess, after reading it, I strongly disagreed with their basic fact finding.
In fact, after reading it, I can only conclude there is no solution to GI as the people making the decisions are seeing it subjectively. Lee’s skates were throwing snow as his legs bent to lean back and stop…for 10 feet. He didn’t try?! Oh, and last night, this was not a goal. I guess the puck battle principle is also subjective.
I agree, no goal, but a player went after a loose puck, a defenseman tried to stop him, and the attacking player had more momentum. That’s no goal. Where have I seen that situation before?
The Canucks score but the Flames are challenging for goalie interference.
🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/GJs8DmTDwN
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 29, 2026
Boston Hockey Now: The top wild card is now ahead of the Penguins by two points. The Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota Wild and Jack Studley does a good breakdown of what the Bruins are doing right.
NHL.com: The Tampa Bay Lightning delivered a little bit of help by rallying past the Ottawa Senators, keeping the Senators outside the playoff seed.
San Jose Hockey Now: Down go the Blue Jackets. The Penguins’ biggest help Saturday came from those plucky, scrappy, young San Jose Sharks.
HNIC Headlines Segment: Will Porter Martone and other college players head to the AHL? It’s a gray area if they can go back to the NCAA. Also, Radko Gudas wants to play Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs because he knows he owes them a fight or two after injuring Auston Matthews. I will tell you with full conviction this is why the NHL did not heavily suspend Gudas for the hit (He got five games)–Player Safety knows he lives by the code, and so they didn’t throw the book at him.
Tags: goaltender interference nhl news Pittsburgh Penguins