Pens Points: Calm Before the Storm

Off day for the Penguins yesterday as they rest of before jetting off for a pair of games in Florida to wrap up the week. Thursday night they will take on the Florida Panthers followed by a Saturday evening contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of last season’s East Conference Final. Thursday’s game will mark the beginning of a stretch of 9 games in 16 days leading into Christmas.

No surprise here, Sidney Crosby is the top vote getter in the Metropolitan division for this year’s All-Star Game to be played in Los Angeles. He joins Carey Price, Patrick Kane, and Connor McDavid among top vote getters. [Penguins]

Though maybe unexpected, Pens fans cannot doubt the impact Conor Sheary has had on the team’s top 6 since being called up last season. [Trib Live]

The NHL’s new concussion protocol created quite a controversy over the weekend when spotters removed Connor McDavid from a game after his face hit the ice. One person you won’t be hearing complaints from about the new policy? Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin. [Trib Live]

This may come as a shock but it appears the Penguins will determine their plan for the expansion draft around Marc-Andre Fleury. [ESPN]

We all know Sidney Crosby is a great player on the ice but he is also a great person off of it. Before their game against the Senators on Monday, Crosby hosted cancer patient Grant Chupinka at Pens practice. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Taylor Hall may be hearing from the DoPS after this high hit on Philip Larsen of the Vancouver Canucks. [Sportsnet]

Team USA released its preliminary roster for the World Junior Championships set to begin on December 26th. [USA Hockey]

The calendar hasn’t even flipped to 2017 yet and names are already starting to be mentioned as possible trade targets. [USA Today]