A 2-0 first period lead for the Penguins turned in to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Goals from Justin Schultz and Phil Kessel had the Pens off and running but four unanswered goals from the Bruins proved to be to large a hill to climb as the Pens dropped their final game before the All-Star break. [Pensburgh]
The Pens will now have four days off as the hockey world descends on Los Angeles for the 2017 All-Star Game. Regular season action will resume on Tuesday when the Nashville Predators come to town for their annual visit to the Steel City.
Prior to last night’s game, general manager Jim Rutherford announced forward Carter Rowney had been recalled from the AHL. [Penguins]
With Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup until after the All-Star break, rookie forward Jake Guentzel will fill in as the second line center in his absence. [Trib Live]
Making his sixth consecutive start on Thursday in Boston, Matt Murray appears to be slowly becoming the every day number one goalie. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Whether he wants to make a move or not, Jim Rutherford must find a solution to the team’s goaltender situation between Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury sooner rather than later as the trade deadline approaches. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Nearly a year on from his trade to Pittsburgh, Justin Schultz has become one of the team’s top defenseman at both ends of the ice. [The Hockey Writers]
News and notes from around the NHL...
Stuck in neutral and trying to get out of the Eastern Conference basement, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded Nikita Nesterov to the Montreal Canadiens. [Puck Daddy]
This season has been nothing but an unmitigated nightmare for the Colorado Avalanche and the team may be on the verge of blowing up their young core. It sounds like some players may be looking for a way out. [Denver Post]