Pens Points: Crunch Time

Well, here we are. Last week of the regular season, and the Pens have three games left. Still on the road, they will have an off-ice workout today prior to tomorrow's critical game in Ottawa.

Or you can just say the Pens are starting the playoffs earlier than anticipated. The Sens game is basically a playoff game. [HockeyBuzz]

It's really hard to find decent articles this morning, with everyone busy putting out hot take after hot take. But here is one outside look as to why the Pens are in trouble. [Yahoo Sports]

Besides the numerous injuries, one area in which the Pens are hurting themselves is not finishing their chances. [Pro Hockey Talk]

Updates on the status of injured players Letang, Ehrhoff, and Downie. [Trib]

Pens top pick in 2014, Kasperi Kapanen, has arrived in Wilkes-Barre and is ready to show his skills at the AHL level. [Trib]

Unlike the big club, the baby Pens are rolling and leading the way is Matt Murray, who registered his AHL-leading 11th shutout on Saturday. [Times Leader]

The Red Wings are kind of on the same boat. A 2-1 loss to the Caps and they find themselves in the wild-card spot. [Detroit Free Press]

If you have any doubts about the impact of health on the fate of teams, just look at the list on man-games lost. Of the top 10 teams, only two so far have clinched a playoff spot. [NHL Man Games Lost]

In the end, Shakespeare said it best: It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. There you have it, Pens.