Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby was named captain of Team Canada on Thursday afternoon. His alternate captains will be Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson had a rough night and more than a few decisions that would make one kindly question his thought process.

SALT LAKE CITY — Many Penguins fans are excited to see Joel Blomqvist back with the NHL team, and there’s no question that the young goaltender could have a very bright future in the league. He hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s been very solid in his NHL cup of coffee. He has a mental toughness that will serve him well. He looks like a keeper.

Marcus Pettersson landing on injured reserve forced the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some tinkering on the blue line. Pettersson had been Erik Karlsson’s defensive partner since Karlsson debuted with the Penguins last season.

Erik Karlsson, meet Macklin Celebrini. Karlsson’s Pittsburgh Penguins got to town on Saturday night, early for their Monday showdown against the San Jose Sharks.

SAN JOSE – Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson wasn’t privy to all the details about why David Quinn was fired as the San Jose Sharks head coach last April. But the three-time Norris ...

As expected, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was named as captain of Canada’s entry into the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off event. Crosby is the NHL’s longest tenured active captain, having served in that role for the Penguins since 2007.

Macklin Celebrini scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Yaroslav Askarov stopped a penalty shot and the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 to snap a six-game losing streak.

Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner on his patented backhand, and Erik Karlsson tied the game in the third with a snipe, as Pittsburgh defeated the Utah Hockey Club, 3-2.

Game Preview, 1/31: Utah Hockey Club vs. Columbus Blue Jackets WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App

The 4 Nations Face-Off captains and leadership groups for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. must guide their teams to a win with little margin for error.