Pens Points: Back-to-Back with the Hurricanes

Time to work off all that stuffing, crew! Reading burns calories in case you didn't know.

This is going to take a while and I myself am only about one-third of my way through it, but it's amazing and you just have to read it. The Evolution of Mario Lemieux and his 30 years in Pittsburgh is a fantastic opus by Brady McCollough. [PPG]

On to more current events. The Pens are set for a home-and-home series today and tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes, whose former GM Jim Rutherford expects it to be an emotional series. [Trib - Yohe]

Rutherford apparently still talks to Ronnie Francis once a week to see if he can get some players. [PPG]

To call Carolina Hurricanes first quarter of the season a roller-coaster would be an understatement. Ron Francis sees some positive signs and a tremendous amount of room for improvement. [The State]

The Pens are probably going to spend all season duking it out with the Islanders for the divisional crown. Winning home games, and winning games they are supposed to win is going to be crucial as they go about it. [Trib - Yohe]

One quarter of the way through the season. the Pens are by no means a finished product. So far the positives outweigh the negatives, but will it keep and what are the most critical must-improve areas? [PPG]

The former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will be honored before the December 4th Sens game, and it is widely expected he will announce his retirement. In my book Alfie is a Hall-of-Famer without a doubt. [USA Today]

Speaking of Hall-of-Famers, Martin Brodeur will practice with the Blues on a tryout basis for a week before the Blues decide whether to offer him a contract. [NHL.com]

20 games into the season, here are the most pleasant surprises and biggest disappointments in the NHL. [The Hockey News]

Nick Cotsonika's Three Periods have some good thoughts on the effect that Brodeur might have on the Blues' Jake Allen as well as the successful retirn of Stephen Weiss to Detroit. Great read. [Yahoo Sports]

Joffrey Lupul is going to be in the doghouse for a good long while. The most uncomfortable and hilarious 40 seconds of one-on-one with a hockey player. [Sportsnet]

AHL's 3-on-3 overtime is making a difference. Could it be headed for NHL? [USA Today]

The Nashville Predators are having themselves quite a season. From Pekka Rinne's return to the top of his game to Filip Forsberg's emergence as a force to be reckoned with, how good are the Predators really? [Pro Hockey Talk]

Take a look at the best and worst of Movember mustache creations. Sid makes the worst list, although I have to say the crusty stache has gotten a lot of better towards the end of the month. [USA Today]

Last but definitely not least - happy 30th birthday to our favorite punching bag, whipping boy, target for criticism, much maligned and much beloved Stanley Cup- and 301-game-winning goalie, the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury!