:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/26328313/20140105_ads_al8_062.0.jpg)
The Pens defeated Winnipeg Jets 6-5 in Sunday's wild matinee. This was their 12th consecutive home win. Here are Dave Molinari's game notes, thoughts from Meesh at PensNation, as well as Mike Lange's goal calls.
Much has been made of the litany of injuries and how the team survived despite them. Before Sunday's game Kevin Allen wrote a piece on all the injuries making this team stronger.
Matt Niskanen now leads all NHL defensemen with 4 GWGs with the one he blasted home Sunday. He's also tied for most GWGs in a season by a Penguins defenseman, and has plenty of time to own that record outright.
Sports are different than other forms of paid entertainment because they come with an emotional investment, jubilation and heartbreak. Do we appreciate what the Pens are doing so far this season? The ghosts of Tuukka Rask aside, this is still a very special group of players.
The guys are off to a 3-game road trip through Western Canada. All told, 18 of their 38 remaining games will be played against Western Conference opponents, against whom the Pens hold an 8-2-0 record, easily the best of all East teams.
AROUND THE NHL
Roberto Luongo suffered an injury after a collision with LA Kings' Dustin Brown, and will be evaluated today. Canucks signed a 43-year-old guy as an emergency backup. Luongo's injury is of unknown duration, so it's anyone's guess how it may affect his selection. They lost to the Ducks Sunday night on Perry's OT goal.
Jonathan Quick is showing no rust upon his return, and just like that rookie phenom Martin Jones finds himself back at the AHL, despite most fans' urging them to just put Ben Scrivens in charge of the team's social media or something.
Why was Blake Wheeler selected to team USA over Bobby Ryan? Skating, apparently. We did get to see some of that yesterday, for example how he kept chugging by Niskanen and got him to take a penalty.
Buffalo Sabres' Rasmus Ristolainen scored the golden goal for Finland at the World Juniors, Russia downed Canada for bronze, and Sweden's Filip Forsberg was tourney MVP. Final standings: (1) Finland, (2) Sweden, (3) Russia.