Pens Points: Off, Way Off Broadway

Well, last night was ugly. But this is the point where we say "hey it's week 5 of the regular season". Still lots of hockey left. Let's stay away from yellow bridges.

The Rangers were quicker, better, harder-working last night. Everything about the Pens seemed off. There will be ebbs and flows in a long season and you will run into teams ready to take you down. [The Pens Nation]

Connor McDavid sustains a hand fracture in a fight. Take 5 seconds to process the sheer absurdity of that sentence, true as it may be. Sometimes hockey is ... well, not cool. [TSN - McKenzie]

Mike Babcock explains why the defensive role of wingers has evolved over the years. [The Score]

Looking at players who were traded for Pascal Dupuis. Where are they now? [Pens Initiative]

A postage stamp and a national treasure, Peter Forsberg's Swedish legacy is golden. Bookmark this when you have some time. Great read. [NHL.com]

A weird bug is going around Anaheim: Ducks forward Corey Perry and defenseman Francois Beauchemin are battling viral gland infections. [SportsNet]

A truly great read from Scott Burnside on Mike Modano, the player and the person: "I don't think people have a clue the sacrifice he made." [ESPN]

NHL's biggest surprises, disappointments so far this season (video segment). [Pro Hockey Talk]

With a solid ownership group and rink, Las Vegas clearly at front of expansion line. [The Hockey News]

Of course, this goes hand in hand with the story of why the Maple Leafs would think Vegas is a bad idea. [Toronto Star]

Meet Leo Komarov, the Leafs’ international man of mystery. [Globe & Mail]

Why are the Sabres on TV all the time? 10% of nationally televised games curiously involve them. [Sporting News]

Q & A with the owner of hockey's most interesting resume, Jarrod Skalde. [The Score]

Fantasy hockey: top five players to buy low. [The Hockey News]

This came out on Tuesday pm, but just in case you missed yesterday's PP, here it is again. Dan Bylsma's Q&A with Dan Rosen has many an interesting nugget. Don't miss it. [NHL.com]

This article is about 2 weeks old, but given that we've seen several instances of goalie interference called in a few recent games, it was interesting to read it. [The Score]

Another tale of an all-time great. Read the story on Rob Blake's path to Hockey Hall of Fame. [NHL.com]

World Anti-Doping Agency is appealing the decision to award Niklas Backstrom a silver medal. One would think these people are looking for useful ways to spend time and resources. [The Score]

LA Kings signed defenseman Jamie McBain to a 1-year, $550,000 contract. Voynov was designated as a non-roster player. [Pro Hockey Talk]

Hopefully there's enough here to keep everyone reading until it's time to play Toronto on Friday.