Pens Points: Daniel Sprong Missing at Morning Skate

Good morning one and all,

The Pens morning skate is underway now, and the only player missing (who is expected to be there) is Daniel Sprong. More on that later as the day unfolds. We will post any updates right away.

The Pens welcome the young Florida Panthers team, led by the ageless wonder JJ68. Four months shy of 44, he's making us, his contemporaries, feel bad about skipping the gym. [PPG]

Sid is on a 5-game scoreless streak, which is interestingly not the first such streak of his career. It happened early in the 2009-2010 season. He ended said season with 109 points. [Chipped Ice]

What should we make of Crosby's current rut? This article looks at the root causes. [CBS Sports]

This one looks at what he can do to change things. In a nutshell, get selfish, shoot and assert himself. He never struck me as deferential, and he shouldn't start now. [Trib]

I don't think it would be a bad idea to play Crosby with Hornqvist, as both are struggling right now. Hornqvist thinks he needs to take charge more, and perhaps I'd try the Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist line for a bit and see how that goes. [Trib]

Marc-Andre Fleury, meanwhile, continues his mastery of October. His play was a major difference between an 0-5 and 2-3 start. [Trib]

Phil Kessel is a quiet guy who does things away from the spotlight. This and much more on the Penguins in the new 30 Thoughts column. [Sportsnet]

The Pens are hardly alone in their struggle to dig themselves out of an early hole. Here's a look at other teams whose coaches might be finding it a little warm in the chair. [PPG]

At 0-6 the Columbus Blue Jackets are off to one of the worst starts in NHL history. Only 5 teams have started 0-7. [CBS Sports]

From around the NHL, Antti Raanta looks good and blue and plays even better. Lundqvist's new backup got himself a shutout last night. This and more on the nightly roundup. [Sportsnet]

Who are the league's star players that turned into equally successful coaches? And why are the ones that didn't so damn awful? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

Here is a list of eight NHL rookie of the year candidates to watch this season. [Fan Rag Sports]

Something for people who like graphs. The relationship between competition and observed results is real and it’s spectacular. [Hockey Graphs]

Which team has the best 1-2 goalie tandem? Opinions vary, but so far Rangers and Red Wings appear to be going great. [ESPN]

Down Goes Brown looks at the biggest emerging story lines as the NHL closes in on the second week of the regular season. [Grantland]