Pens Points: Leaving it Late

Doesn’t matter what the weather is like in Pittsburgh today because it’s always perfect the day after the Penguins defeat the Flyers. After a dominating first period the Pens fell behind twice over the final 40 minutes only to finding a tying goal both times to eventually send the game to overtime where Sidney Crosby won it 5-4 with a typical Crosby deflection off a pass from Kris Letang. [Pensburgh]

Now, what you’re really here for, the Tuesday edition of Pens Points...

Coming off a crucial win against the red hot Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, the Penguins entered last night’s matchup against the rival Flyers with momentum at their back for the first time in weeks. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

When the Penguins and Flyers square off things can often spiral out of control quickly and turn into a boxing match on ice. Enter Ryan Reaves, a hockey player made for this kind of rivalry. [Trib Live]

As the calendar prepares to flip to December, we are once again approaching the anniversary of Mario Lemieux’s return to the ice in 2001. To prepare him for his comeback, Lemieux enlisted the help of his former teammate and current television analyst Jay Caulfield. [Penguins]

After recovering from a puck to the face early in the season, Ian Cole has been playing some of the best hockey of his career which makes the sudden string of healthy scratches particularly annoying for the veteran blue liner. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

There was some clarity on the Cole situation late in the evening yesterday. According to Jason Mackey from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Penguins are exploring a trade involving Cole which explains his absence from the lineup. From the sounds of it, a trade could go down at any moment. [Pensburgh]

Scoring from the bottom lines has helped the Pens thrive over the last two seasons and led them to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the process. So far this season, the depth scoring has disappeared and hampering the Penguins ability to win hockey games. [Trib Live]

Inconsistent play has plagued Sidney Crosby through a quarter of the new NHL season but with six points in his last three games played, it appears the superstar may be finally turning a corner. [Fan Rag Sports]

News and notes from around the NHL...

A nasty cross-check to the face of Matthew Tkachuk will cost Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog four games away from the ice as the NHL Department of Player Safety found his actions to be malicious. [CBC]

Little success on the ice over the last decade has help funnell great talent into the Edmonton Oilers system. Unfortunately, the Oilers have not been able to turn that talent into anything substantial and the media attention has depleted the morale of many of the young players who play there. [ESPN]

Former third overall pick Dylan Strome will get another shot to breakthrough in the NHL after he was called up by the struggling Arizona Coyotes. [Yahoo! Sports]