Pens Points: Another Day of Rest

Another off day for the Penguins after opening the season with three games in four nights. They’ll be back in action tomorrow night in the nation’s capital when they take on the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

ICYMI: The Pens dropped a cool video during Saturday night’s game celebrating the franchise’s five Stanley Cup championships. If haven’t already, you can watch the video below.

Following a puck to the mouth against the Predators on Saturday night, defenseman Ian Cole is expected to miss at minimum the team’s game in Washington. In Cole’s absence, Chad Ruhwedel is the next man up on the blue line. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Years of injury struggles took its toll on defenseman Olli Maatta and led to much trade speculation surrounding the young Finnish blue liner. Now with two goals in the the team’s opening three games, Maatta has the confidence he can live up to the expectations set for him after his strong rookie season. [Penguins]

Though the Pens and Caps won’t face off until Wednesday night, the team will head to Washington D.C. tomorrow to visit the White House to be honored for their Stanley Cup victory. [Trib Live]

Facing backlash for their decision to visit the White House, captain Sidney Crosby has reiterated his previous stance that the decision to attend has nothing to do with politics. [Sportsnet]

Over six years since the Mellon Arena has been torn down, the site of the former building still sits undeveloped. The Penguins have a plan is place for a residential complex to be built but they are at risk of losing some of the land if they do not act soon. [Trib Live]

Just three games into his Penguins career Ryan Reaves has already endeared himself to the locals with his performance against the Predators. One fan loved it so much, he decided to permanently honor Reaves with a tattoo of the Penguins’ enforcer. [The Sports Quotient]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Breaking into the NHL in a big way, the Vegas Golden Knights won their first two games thanks to the help of former Penguins James Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury. While Neal scored both game winners, it was Fleury who back stopped the Golden Knights in net and earned the NHL’s Second Star of the week. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

He may play for the rival Capitals but Nathan Walker is the feel good story of the year so far. Walker is the first Australian born player to play in the NHL and his journey has been no easy road. [Sporting News]