As any would-be hockey broadcaster raised in Pittsburgh, Cooney was influenced heavily by Mike Lange. The longtime voice of the Penguins and a broadcaster emeritus, Lange is famous in the region — and throughout North America, really — for his dozens of colorful goal calls.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn each scored twice and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Thursday night. Frank Vatrano also scored and Troy Terry and Jacob Trouba each had a pair of assists as the Ducks snapped a four-game winless streak. John Gibson made 31 saves.

The Penguins square off against the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday night, and this will be their fourth consecutive game against a non-playoff opponent. They have lost three straig

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

Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn end their scoring slumps with two goals apiece, John Gibson makes 31 saves and the Ducks snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win.

UTAH: #28 IAN COLE - Cole spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins and won two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 alongside current Utah teammate Olli Määttä. The defenseman has 13 points (1G, 12A) and ranks second in the NHL with 135 blocked shots.

The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered a critical loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, dropping further down the NHL standings.

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at Honda Center. The Ducks entered this game on a four-game winless streak and had only won one of their last seven games. The Pens were fresh off a big 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday but had only won three of their last 13 entering this game.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey reviews the scheduled games and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will win in head-to-head matchups.

The Pittsburgh Penguins did not like their start despite taking the first seven shots of the game. They liked their pushback even though they never tied the game, let alone took the lead, in a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.

Thursday’s NHL play will see the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-21-8) take the ice against the Anaheim Ducks (18-23-6), starting at 10:00 PM ET at Honda Center and broadcast on ESPN+. The Penguins are 13th (with 48 points) in the Eastern Conference and the Ducks are 13th (42 points) in the Western Conference.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (20-21-8) again have a chance to get back to hockey .500, but more importantly, stack wins on a pivotal seven-game road trip. Thus far, the Penguins are 2-1-0 in the first three games and inching back into the continually mediocre middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race.