Pens Points: Blue on the Horizon

There is a lot of blue in forecast this weekend and I don’t mean plenty of blue skies outside. The Penguins will face an onslaught of the color as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets later this evening then jump on a plane and head west to face the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night.

Tonight’s game at PPG Paints Arena is scheduled for 7:00 PM with tomorrow’s game slated for an 8:00 PM start time. Both games will be broadcast on ROOT Sports.

Prior to practice on Thursday the Pens released their full uniform ensemble for the Stadium Series contest against the Philadelphia Flyers later in the month. [Pensburgh]

Even though he has taken on more of a back up role behind Matt Murray as of late that did not stop Marc-Andre Fleury from going all out on his Stadium Series mask. The mask features teammates from past and present who played alongside Fleury in Pittsburgh. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

With Sidney Crosby’s new found left winger Conor Sheary scheduled to be on the shelf for 4 to 6 weeks recovering from an upper body injury, it will be next man up to fill his skates. It appears that man will be Matt Cullen who will be moving up from his regular spot on the fourth line. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

With the fate of Marc-Andre Fleury up in the air as the trade deadline approaches Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says he will talk with Fleury regarding any possible trade situation. [Trib Live]

With Wednesday night off, the Pens dressed up for charity and hosted their third annual “Aces & Casino Night” at PPG Paints Arena. [Penguins]

To advocate the inclusion of the LBGTQ community in hockey, the Penguins have teamed up with the “You Can Play Project” to host a pride night on Tuesday, February 7th when the team hosts the Calgary Flames at PPG Paints Arena. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

There is a new member of the 500 goal club. Patrick Marleau joined the exclusive club on Thursday night with a goal in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks. [Puck Daddy]

A quick glance at the standings show the Detroit Red Wings likely to miss the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. Rumors are starting to circle about what veterans may be on the move in the coming weeks. [Detroit Free Press]

In an effort to push for LBGTQ inclusion in the sport, the NHL has named an inclusion ambassador for each team. [Out Sports]