Thursday’s “On Sports” takes a look at the challenge currently in front of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who begin a difficult final month-and-a-half of the regular season minus captain Sidney Crosby.
At the NFL Combine, former Pitt standout linebacker Kyle Louis looks to further showcase his next-level potential, while Paul Skenes and six Pirates teammates gear up for the World Baseball Classic.
Tough schedule for Pens
Following a multi-week pause to allow players to compete in the Winter Olympics, the NHL regular season got underway again Wednesday night with eight games.
The Penguins (29-15-12, 70 points) get back in action at home Thursday evening against New Jersey, the first of 26 remaining games for the club.
To start, they’ll do so minus Crosby, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday due to an injury suffered while playing for Team Canada at the Olympics.
While being without Crosby, who could miss up to four weeks, already would have constituted a significant challenge, making matters more difficult is the upcoming stretch the Penguins prepare to navigate.
Per Tankathon, the Penguins own the toughest remaining strength of schedule across the NHL, with a combined opponent points percentage of .590.
After taking on New Jersey, the Penguins visit Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers on Saturday, which will be back-to-back games against non-playoff positioned clubs.
But once March begins, the sledding gets far tougher, as it features three games against the Carolina Hurricanes, two against the Colorado Avalanche, two against the Vegas Golden Knights and two against the Boston Bruins.
The Penguins also play Western Conference playoff-position clubs in the Utah Mammoth (March 14), Winnipeg Jets (March 21) and Dallas Stars (March 28).
Dissecting Kyle Louis
Former Pitt star Kyle Louis is currently at the NFL Combine looking to boost his stock ahead of the upcoming draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.
The stats Louis racked up over 24 games from 2024-25 as a starter at Pitt — 182 tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles — established a reputation of collegiate playmaking ability.
But the question scouts and curious NFL front office personnel now find themselves wondering is: Where exactly Louis could fit in schematically at the next level?
Longtime draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lists Louis as a safety. At Pitt, he technically played linebacker, yet his official position with the Panthers, dubbed the “Star,” combined the run-game duties of a linebacker with coverage responsibilities of a safety and cornerback.
Former Pitt LB and draft prospect Kyle Louis on what made him the proverbial “first guy in in the morning” kind of film-study junkie pic.twitter.com/7AGNYDLSxs
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) February 25, 2026
At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, it remains to be seen where Louis’ body type and skill set will land him on an NFL depth chart.
For his part, Louis is prepared to do everything he did for Pitt in the NFL.
“The league is constantly changing, especially now,” Louis said during a Combine interview in Indianapolis. “And people like me is what the league needs. I feel like the league is definitely becoming a passing league, and I feel like as an all-three-downs linebacker, (playing against) 12 personnel (two tight ends), any heavy personnel — on top of that, I can still cover. It’s on top of (excelling in the run game). It’s not taking away that I can’t do any run defense. It’s added on top of it.”
Also invited the NFL Combine is former Pitt tailback Desmond Reid, a 2024 All-American with the Panthers.
Pirates in the WBC
Reigning NL Cy Young winner and two-time All-Star Paul Skenes made his Pirates spring training debut Wednesday, tossing 2⅓ innings in an eventual 3-1 win over the Braves.
Skenes threw 53 pitches, walked and struck out four and allowed one earned run and one hit.
Now, Skenes’ spring training pauses as he prepares to join Team USA in Arizona for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
“Winning gold is the biggest thing,” Skenes said Wednesday following his start in North Port, Fla. “Whichever game I’m pitching in, it doesn’t really matter. Just want to win gold.”
Pirates ace Paul Skenes on wanting to win gold for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. pic.twitter.com/bERx7v6i9b
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 25, 2026
Skenes is one of seven Pirates who will partake in the tournament, held from March 5-17 in Puerto Rico, Houston, Miami and Tokyo.
Teammates Oneil Cruz, Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto (Dominican Republic), Spencer Horwitz (Israel), Nick Gonzales (Mexico) and Kyle Nicolas (Italy) will also compete.
Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani, won the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2023, topping the U.S. 3-2.