Pens Points: Comeback Birds Strike Again

Good morning one and all,

The Pens spotted the Canes a 2-0 lead early on, but dug themselves out of the hole in an excellent second period. Kris Letang dominated possession and Sidney Crosby played a monster 2-way game. [Trib]

Very importantly, spring is here and hopefully Nick Bonino has emerged from hibernation for good. The second line contributed to the win massively with 6 combined points. [Penguins]

*Clearly Sid has elevated his game to a ridiculous level as the team will be without Malkin for the foreseeable future. Should that get him Hart Trophy consideration? Patrick Kane is having a season Sid had in 2013, but remember who walked away with the Hart that year after Sid got the puck to the jaw? [ESPN]

Jordan Staal could should be facing a fine for that groin spear on Bryan Rust. That must have hurt like hell. [THN]

Scott Wilson will need surgery for a lower body injury (thought to be foot or ankle), which is an unfortunate ending of a very decent stretch of NHL play for him. [PPG]

Anze Kopitar scored twice and the LA Kings edged the NY Rangers in OT. Too bad they couldn't do it in regulation. [LA Times]

The Red Wings stayed very much alive with a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets, with Jimmy Howard returning to the net. [Detroit Free Press]

Flyers were idle last night, but forward Chris Vandevelde has a disciplinary hearing for a hit on Jonathan Toews, and will likely get suspended, opening up a spot for the return of Jakub Voracek. [CBS Sports]

The Islanders lost Cizikas and Grabovski to injuries and then lost to the Predators as well. [Today's Slapshot]

Which offseason personnel moves have paid out the most visibly? [ESPN]

*This is a really good article that explores how the impending NHL expansion might impact the goaltender market, as each team can only protect one goalie. [SI]

*A really fun article looking at how a changed outcome of just one game might have changed the destination for some #1 overall picks? Could we have seen Ovechkin as a Blue Jacket, Kane as an Oiler, or Marc-Andre Fleury as a Sabre? [THN]

This article but made me queasy. I have whiffed smelling salts once and it was god-awful. Why do NHLers use them so much then? [SI]

*For the end, happy trails to one-time Penguin Brenden Morrow, who retired after 16 NHL seasons, 13 of those spent with the Dallas Stars. He penned a farewell piece on the lessons learned in a long career. [The Players' Tribune]