Rakell logged a power-play assist, four hits and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks.
Rakell was unavailable for Monday's game versus the Kings due to a personal matter. He was back Thursday and slotted onto the top line against his former team. Rakell has six goals and four assists over 10 outings in January, and he's up to 41 points, 123 shots on net, 81 hits, 53 blocked shots and a minus-17 rating through 49 contests this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Set to return Thursday
Rotowire
Rakell (personal) took part in Wednesday's practice, paving the way for him to play Thursday versus Anaheim, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.
Rakell has 23 goals, 40 points, 77 hits and 53 blocks in 48 outings in 2024-25. He'll likely resume his role on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. That might in turn shift Anthony Beauvillier from the Crosby line to Evgeni Malkin's unit and knock Cody Glass off the top six.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Unavailable Monday
Rotowire
Rakell (personal) won't play against the Kings on Monday, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.
Rakell didn't make the trip to LA because of a family matter. He has produced 23 goals, 40 points, 122 shots on net, 53 blocked shots and 77 hits through 48 appearances this season. Anthony Beauvillier will play on the top line due to Rakell's absence, while Matt Nieto will draw back into the lineup.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Strikes on power play Friday
Rotowire
Rakell scored a power-play goal on two shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.
Rakell's goal early in the second period tied the game at 1-1. The 31-year-old forward has not slowed down in January, racking up six goals and two assists, including three power-play points, over eight contests this month. For the season, he has 23 goals, 39 points, 119 shots on net, 76 hits, 52 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating over 47 appearances. He's already surpassed his output of 37 points from 2023-24, and a return to the 60-point mark is a possibility at his current pace.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Goal, assist in loss
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal on six shots, added a power-play assist and went minus-3 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning.
While the Penguins are starting to skid again, Rakell has stayed hot in January, earning five goals and two assists over his last six contests. The 31-year-old forward has added 20 shots on net in that span, though he also has a minus-8 rating. Rakell's up to 22 goals, 38 points (10 on the power play), 111 shots on net, 73 hits, 49 blocked shots and a minus-10 rating through 45 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Keeps rolling Thursday
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal and blocked four shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.
Rakell's tally 3:19 into the game was the first of four goals by the Penguins in the opening frame. Things calmed down later, and the Penguins were able to hold on for a win to snap a four-game skid. Despite the poor team results lately, Rakell has been on a tear with 11 goals and nine assists over his last 15 contests. Overall, he has 21 tallies, 15 assists, 103 shots on net, 71 hits, 48 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 43 appearances, thriving as a two-way forward on the top line. He's one point away from matching his total from 70 outings in 2023-24.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Up to 20 goals on season
Rotowire
Rakell scored two goals in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.
The veteran winger broke open a 1-1 tie with two rockets in the third period to beat Elvis Merzlikins, but the Penguins' defense couldn't make the lead hold up over the final 10 minutes of regulation. Rakell has been locked in over the last month, producing 10 goals and 19 points in the last 14 games, and the surge has already carried him to his sixth career 20-goal campaign in only 42 appearances. While he's been streaky throughout his career, if Rakell continues skating on a line with Sidney Crosby and maintaining a spot on the No. 1 power-play unit, his career-high mark of 34 goals from 2017-18 seems well within reach.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Picks up helper in overtime loss
Rotowire
Rakell notched an assist, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-3 in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.
Rakell was in the red for plus-minus for a fifth straight game -- he has four points and a minus-8 rating in that span. As long as his offense stays steady, everything else is forgivable. The 31-year-old forward is at 33 points (nine on the power play), 98 shots on net, 69 hits, 44 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 41 appearances this season.
Rakell scored a power-play goal in Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers.
Rakell snapped a two-game pointless streak with his first power-play goal since Dec. 12, when he recorded four points in a 9-2 victory over Montreal. Rakell has plenty of opportunities to remain a steady contributor for the Penguins due to his first-line role, and he's been making the most of his chances. He's found the twine in seven of his last 12 appearances while amassing eight goals and 16 points.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Stays hot with two points in loss
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal, dished a power-play assist, added three hits and went minus-2 in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Islanders.
This was Rakell's sixth multi-point effort over his last nine games, a span in which he has seven goals and eight assists. The 31-year-old forward is on one of the best runs of his career while playing on the resurgent Penguins' top line. He's up to 17 goals, 14 helpers, eight power-play points, 85 shots on net, 68 hits, 37 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 37 appearances. He had just 37 points in 70 outings in 2023-24, but he should easily surpass that mark in 2024-25.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Seven points in last four games
Rotowire
Rakell had a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win over Philadelphia on Monday.
He found twine at 11:53 of the first with a wrist shot from the slot after he'd had a goal overturned at the 7:14 mark. Rakell has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last four games and 29 points, including 16 snipes, in 36 games this season. At this rate, Rakell will challenge his career-best 69 points (34 goals, 35 assists) set back in 2017-18. He's a great veteran option for managers seeking a title this season.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Two more points in overtime win
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist, added two PIM and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Predators.
The top line of Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust accounted for four goals and 10 points in a stellar performance. This was Rakell's fourth multi-point effort in his last six games, a span in which he has recorded five goals and five assists. The 31-year-old is up to 15 goals -- matching his total from last year -- with 11 assists, 81 shots on net, 62 hits, 35 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 34 appearances this year. Rakell's career highs are 28 goals and 60 points in 2022-23, which is the only year he's played all 82 games. He could best both of those marks if he stays hot on Pittsburgh's top line.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Twelve points in last 10 games
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.
He tipped a shot from Erik Karlsson just under the crossbar at 1:44 of OT to seal the win. It was Rakell's team-leading 14th goal. He has 12 points, including seven goals, over his last 10 games. Rakell has shaken off last season's malaise, and he's helping make us all forget about that performance.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Pots two in win
Rotowire
Rakell had a power-play goal, an even-strength tally, four shots on net and two assists in Thursday's 9-2 win over Montreal.
Rakell's first-period power-play tally was his third man-advantage goal of the season and second in the last three games. He was part of a big night for the Penguins' top line, which accounted for five goals and 11 points. In addition to Rakell's two tallies, Bryan Rust had three of his own. It was the second multi-goal effort of the season for Rakell, who has six tallies over his last 10 outings and leads the Penguins with 12 overall.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: One of each in Saturday's win
Rotowire
Rakell scored a power-play goal on three shots, added an assist, logged two hits and blocked two shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
Rakell saw his four-game point streak snapped against the Rangers on Friday, but he bounced back quickly. This was his first multi-point effort since Nov. 5. The veteran winger is up to 11 goals, 18 points (four on the power play), 69 shots on net, 55 hits, 31 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 29 outings. He's leading the team in goals and should continue to function in a top-line role.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Reaches 10-goal mark
Rotowire
Rakell scored a goal on two shots and blocked five shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Flames.
Rakell is on a scoring binge with four goals over his last six games. He's up to 10 tallies and 15 points this season, and just three of his points have come on the power play. Rakell has added 62 shots on net, 47 hits, 24 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 26 appearances, which is decent all-around production considering the Penguins' overall struggles in 2024-25.
Rakell scored a goal on four shots and added three hits in Friday's 2-1 win over the Bruins.
Sidney Crosby found Rakell just in time, as the 31-year-old tucked in the game-tying goal with less than a second left in the middle frame. This was Rakell's third goal in the last five contests, a sign he could be heating up after a recent six-game point drought. For the season, he has nine tallies, five assists, 60 shots on net, 47 hits, 19 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 25 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Pots goal Wednesday
Rotowire
Rakell found the back of the net on his only shot and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Canucks.
Rakell scored his eighth goal of the season at 12:53 of the first period to Pittsburgh up 2-1. The right-shot winger has scored twice but hasn't recorded an assist over his last 10 games, yet he ranks fourth on the Penguins in scoring. Rakell has provided eight markers and five helpers over 24 contests, and he'll aim to close out November in a strong way with a back-to-back set looming against Boston and Calgary on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Rakell scored a power-play goal Tuesday in a 3-2 OT loss to the Lightning.
Rakell dropped to one knee for a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Sidney Crosby. The marker ended a nine-game goal drought and six-game point slump. Rakell is a complementary depth fantasy play who could find himself in another uniform before the deadline. Beware that move -- the winger is in the best fantasy position of his career, and he certainly won't skate with Sid-lite in another city.
... See More... See Less
Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Two apples in loss
Rotowire
Rakell chipped in two secondary assists, one of which came on the man advantage, in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders.
Rakell's pair of assists came in the second period of Tuesday's defeat. The Swedish winger has picked up at least one point in four of his last five games, and he's only been held off the scoresheet five times through 14 games this season. Rakell is thriving in a top-line role and spot on the No. 1 power-play unit -- the 31-year-old is up to six goals, five assists and a plus-5 rating while averaging 17:33 of ice time over 14 appearances.
