Pens Points: Nothing But Division

Good morning one and all,

The Pens beat the Devils handily (probably because I wasn't there), and they did so without Cory Schneider, who will miss two weeks with a grade 1 MCL sprain. That's it for the Devils' playoff hopes, I think. [Devils]

John Hynes had a good look at the guys he coached at Wilkes-Barre because they were half the Pens lineup. And boy did some of them have a good night. [PPG]

Sergei Plotnikov opens up to a Russian correspondent about his time in Pittsburgh and what exactly happened. Not really a surprise to read any of it. It's kind of a choppy translation but it'll do. [THW]

The Rangers and the Isles played a wild one last night, and the Isles emerged on top, 6-4. [NHL]

Dion Phaneuf returned to Toronto and received a nice tribute. This article places the blame for the steaming mess in Toronto squarely at the feet of Brian Burke. Well they're better of now with LL and his many helpers. Interested to see how that turns out. [Sportsnet]

The St. Louis Blues are heating up and threatening again in the Central and have come within 2 points of the Hawks and Stars. [ESPN]

Meanwhile, over in the Pacific, the Ducks brawled their way to first place with a 3-2 win over the Kings. The first period alone featured 46 combined penalty minutes. Nice. [Sportsnet]

Of the 16 teams that will make the playoffs, which ones are the legit Stanley Cup contenders? [Sportsnet]

Which specific zone entry types are the most successful? [NHL Special Teams]

Women in hockey media. Should be way past a novelty by now, but 45 years after the first female hockey writer had to file a legal complaint to be allowed to join PHWA, it's still a long road ahead. [Vice Sports]

Ilya Kovalchuk is back on the ice for SKA St. Petersburg, so it looks like the spat was a temporary falling out related probably to his inconsistent play. [NBC Sports]

Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawrchuk, Teemu Selanne and other legends will lace 'em up again at the Heritage Classic Alumni Game in October and it's going to be awesome. [NHL]

For the end, James Mirtle follows up on one of the most heartbreaking and horrifying stories with a call to end fighting in junior hockey once and for all. Can't come a day too soon. [Globe & Mail]