Pens Points: Pens Have Maatta's Back, Face Devils Tonight

After receiving the unexpected and unfortunate news regarding Olli Maatta's health yesterday, everything else pertaining to hockey became a little less important.

He's taken in the same unflappable stride that he meets every challenge with. A great read from Seth Rorabaugh, here are the observations on Maatta the person. Dave Molinari analyzes what his absence will mean for the rest of the team.

We all send the very best wishes to our young defenseman for a quick recovery and look forward to celebrating his return to the ice in the near future. As it's always the case, life keeps moving along. The Pens host those pesky Devils tonight. Here is your game preview from the Pens, and here is the preview by our friends over at In Lou We Trust.

Jagr comes to visit again, in pursuit of several all-time NHL records. He is a legend who should be celebrated, though maybe tonight he could take a break from the records chase.

HockeyBuzz's Ryan Wilson also posted a good article yesterday about the Penguins player usage on defense. Definitely worth reading.

Last night there were only two games on tap, but both were well worth watching. The early game was pretty much the wildest game we've seen all season. Minnesota Wild came to New York on a bit of a roll and started out strong. The Rangers allowed several quick goals and Kreider and Moore also earned ejections for some really bad things. They managed to mount a comeback, though, by scoring 5 times on Kuemper in the final frame for a 5-4 win.

Next up, the best team in the NHL was playing one of the most embattled ones. The red-hot Montreal Canadiens brought their stellar 7-1 record to Edmonton but were rudely welcomed and promptly shut out to the tune of 3-0, earning their 4th consecutive win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in search of wins, goals, and other good things in hockey. In the hope of attaining that, they switched the lines around, moving Phil Kessel off the top line.

Good news for Canes fans, as captain Eric Staal is set to return tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. Ben Lovejoy is out 6-8 weeks with a broken finger. Tyler Kennedy received a conditioning assignment to the AHL before he can return to play.

Anze Kopitar is injured and unlikely to play against the Flyers tonight, forcing the Kings to perhaps only dress 11 forwards.

Avalanche's Semyon Varlamov is facing a civil suit from his ex-girlfriend, claiming years of physical abuse.

Pens players and coaches weigh in on fights and whether and how to stop them. John Scott was only suspended for two games, and John Moore also has a hearing for that dirty head-aiming hit on Erik Haula last night.

More Halloween fun in pictures, including Roberto Luongo as a deer in headlights and the Boston Bruins on a visit to Boston Children's Hospital dressed as the characters from "Frozen", including Dougie Hamilton in a full-blown Elsa outfit.

Following yesterday's practice, the Penguins used the rest of the day to warm the hearts of little kids in need of winter essentials. Here are the sights from Project Bundle Up.