Pens Points: More of the Same

The last time the Penguins stepped off the ice at the Verizon Center it was after a 2-0 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals where they had just eliminated the Capitals for the second straight year and booked a place in the Eastern Conference Finals. Although the stakes were much lower on Wednesday night the result remained the same. Goals by Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, and Conor Sheary were just enough to push the Pens past the Capitals by a score of 3-2 in the furst meeting between the two rivals this season. [Pensburgh]

Barely a week into the season and the Pens are already facing their second back-to-back set of the season when they head south to face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning and old friend Chris Kunitz later this evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 and will be broadcast locally on AT&T Sports Network.

Following the Penguins second round victory over the Capitals in last season’s playoffs, former Penguins’ defenseman Matt Niskanen reached out to Sidney Crosby to apologize for the cross check that gave Crosby a concussion and forced him to miss Game 4 of the series. [Trib Live]

Unable to begin the season on the ice due to a lingering injury, Patric Hornqvist was more than eager to get his season underway last night in Washington. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Being the first team win consecutive Stanley Cups in 19 years put the Penguins in elite company but winning a third straight title would put the franchise alongside the great dynasties in NHL history. [Pittsburgh City Paper]

For all the controversy that surrounded the Penguins decision to visit the White House, the team managed to avoid the politics of the deal and simply enjoyed the experience. [TSN]

As one of the more active accounts in the social media world, the Penguins went dark on Tuesday during their visit to the White House leading some to speculate on the possible motives for the decision to unplug. [SB Nation]

Coming off back-to-back hat tricks to begin the 2017-2018 season, Alex Ovechkin is proving he still has plenty of goal scoring left in him and he’s hoping to unleash some of that on the Penguins. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

After captaining the Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, Mike Fisher is enjoying his new life away from the rink following his retirement in the offseason. [The Tennessean]

Under the radar superstar Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets sat down with “The Player’s Tribune” and broke down the five toughest players he’s faced so far in his young NHL career. [The Player’s Tribune]