Post-Game Buzz: Beau Bennett makes immediate impact 5 v 5, On Penguins power play woes & more

PENGUINS 2 – CAROLINA 1 Penguins snap losing Streak: Brandon Sutter (8) scored with a 1:48 left in regulation, netting the game winning goal in the Penguins 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Sutter’s 8th of the season came from in the slot off a setup from Beau Bennett who had two assists in the win. The Penguins snapped a four game losing streak with the victory and improved to 23-9-5, 51 pts, on the season. Chris Kunitz (11) also scored in the win and Marc Andre Fleury made 24 saves to earn his 20th win of the season. POST-GAME BUZZ — Beau Bennett made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup, picking up two

January, February should provide a proper evaluation of who the Penguins really are

The Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night dropped their fourth straight game with a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Pittsburgh controlled the play in the first period and took a 1-0 lead on a beautiful backhand goal from Sidney Crosby but the Devils playing more of a trap now with Lou Lamoriello behind the bench, played a patient game, clogged the middle and waited for chances to develop as a better battle level, structure, eventually took over for the Devils. The Penguins sported a lineup vs Devils that represented a preseason lineup but still had a lot of top tier talent in the game and were 0-3 on the power play and now just 3 for their last 48 on

Steelers cut WR Justin Brown to make room for Ben Tate

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially signed running back Ben Tate, adding him to the 53-man roster. To make room for Tate, the Steelers released WR Justin Brown. A strong blocker in the run game, Brown showed promise in OTA’s and training camp, earning the trust of the Steelers coaching staff and opened the season as the No. 3 receiver. Brown, though, dropped all the way to sixth on the depth chart by mid-October and has not been a factor in the offense for over two months. He had 12 receptions for 94 yards on the season. Tate joins the Steelers after spending the 2011-13 seasons with the Houston Texans and 2014 with the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings. Since entering

NFL: Steelers giving Ben Tate a look as insurance for Le’Veon Bell this week

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought running back Ben Tate into Pittsburgh Monday night with intentions of signing him today, if Tate’s physical checks out and Steelers coaches deem him to be in good enough football shape to play this weekend vs Baltimore. Steelers running backs coach James Saxon was scheduled to put Tate through a morning workout, followed by a meeting this morning with Mike Tomlin and other prominent members of the organization. Tate was released by the Cleveland Browns this season due to attitude problems over a lack of playing time, after being signed and projecting as their No. 1 running back. Tate rushed for just 333 yards on 106 carries in eight games with Cleveland, but it was his

Penguins remain committed to resigning Christian Ehrhoff, intend to talk extension for Steve Downie

The Pittsburgh Penguins remain committed to locking up 32 year old defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a long-term extension as the two sides intend to engage in substantive contract talks next month. Ehrhoff earned $22 million in the first three years of his front-loaded contract with the Sabres and was bought out by the Sabres in June after three seasons, where he will still receive a total of $11.15 million over the next 13 years from Buffalo, not including the $857,000 he is receiving from Buffalo this season. After being bought out by the Sabres, Ehrhoff quickly signed with the Penguins on July 1, agreeing to a one year, $4 million contract, which surprised many around the league as Ehrhoff had

Antonio Brown’s big night helps claim AFC North Title as Steelers will host Ravens in Wild Card round

Steelers – Ravens, Saturday 8:15 p.m. (NBC) It’s Ravens Week! The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North and the No. 3 seed in the AFC Playoffs with a 27-17 over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night. The Steelers will host the Ravens Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. in the wildcard round. Antonio Brown capped off one of the greatest seasons for a wide receiver with a 63 yard catch and run touchdown with 2:50 left in the 4th quarter to secure the AFC North Title and put the Steelers ahead 27-17. Brown in the first quarter also had a 71 yard punt return touchdown and finishes the regular season with 129 receptions (2nd most in NFL history), 1,698 receiving yards

Antonio Brown finishes regular season with 129 receptions (2nd most ever), 1,698 yards (6th most ever)

Antonio Brown hauled in 7 catches for 128 yards in the Steelers 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, capping off one of the greatest seasons ever for a wide receiver. Brown finished the regular season with 129 receptions (2nd most ever in a season) and 1,698 receiving yards (6th most ever in a season), emerging as one of the NFL’s best playmakers and wide receivers. Brown’s 63 yard TD catch late in the 4th quarter secured the AFC North for the Steelers and Brown added a 71 punt return for a Touchdown in the 1st quarter, totaling 212 all-purpose yards in the win. Week 17 vs Bengals 13 Targets – 7 Receptions – 128 Yards – 1 TD, 84 Punt Return

Steelers believe Le’Veon Bell has no structural damage to injured knee

A top storyline for the Steelers this week will be whether Le’Veon Bell will play vs the Baltimore Ravens in the wildcard round. Bell suffered a hyper-extended knee in the Steelers 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals after a low hit to his knee by Bengals safety Reggie Nelson. The good news for the Steelers is there is believed to be no structural damage to Bell’s knee, but with a short week, it remains unclear if Bell will be available to play or how effective he will be if he can go. Bell finishes regular season with 1,361 rushing yards on 290 carries, 85 receptions for 854 yards and scored 11 touchdowns (8 rushing, 3 receiving). Week 17 vs Bengals: 8

Ravens lock up No. 6 seed in AFC

The AFC North will send three teams to the playoffs. Baltimore’s 20-10 win over the Browns, clinched the No. 6 seed in the AFC with a 10-6 record. A win for the Steelers tonight vs Cincinnati, and they host Baltimore next weekend as the No. 3 seed. A loss vs the Bengals and Pittsburgh travels to Indianapolis as the No. 5 seed. Neither is a bad scenario for the Steelers. For the Bengals, they can still finish anywhere from No. 2, No. 3 or No. 5 seed, pending what Denver does against the Oakland Raiders. Bengals clinch No. 2 seed and first round bye with a win vs Pittsburgh and Broncos loss to the Raiders. Bengals clinch No. 3 seed

Patric Hornqvist will be sidelined next couple weeks with a foot injury

Another prominent Penguin is down with an injury. Winger Patric Hornqvist will be sidelined for a few weeks, Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said Sunday. Hornqvist is believed to have a broken bone in his foot. 12/27 vs Capitals: -1, 3 SOG, 2 PIM, 6:26 TOI 2014-2015 Stats: 33 GP – 13 Goals – 16 Assists – 29 Points