Pens Points: A Fresh Voice

After knotting their Eastern Conference Final series at one a piece on Monday night, the Penguins traveled to Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon ahead of their Game 3 matchup against the Senators later this evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 PM and will be broadcast on NBCSN.

Adjustments made following the Game 1 defeat helped the Pens break through the Senators’ stubborn 1-3-1 trap system in Game 2. A major factor is cracking the code was the work of the defense, who play a major role is getting the puck up ice. [Trib Live]

Injuries struck the Pens roster once again before and during Game 2. Forward Patric Hornqvist was a last minute scratch with an upper-body injury Monday night. Fellow forward Bryan Rust left the game with an upper-body injury during the first period along with defenseman Justin Schultz. All three players are listed as day-to-day and traveled with the team to Ottawa. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Emotions were running high on the Penguins’ bench in Game 2, most notably from Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin. That type of emotion is exactly what head coach Mike Sullivan was looking for out of his players. [Pittsburgh-Post-Gazette]

When a team is successful, much of the praise goes to the head coach. Since taking over behind the bench last season, Mike Sullivan has been lauded for his efforts as coach but none of this success would be possible without assistants Rick Tocchet and Jacques Martin by his side. [Trib Live]

Whether it would be as an injury replacement of just a change of pace, Sullivan is heavily considering inserting defenseman Mark Streit into the lineup for Game 3. Streit has yet to play in the playoffs. [NBC Sports]

When you tune into Pens games next season on ROOT Sports, you will be hearing a different voice making the call. Pittsburgh native Steve Mears was unveiled as the new television voice of the Pens on Tuesday, replacing long time play caller Paul Steigerwald beginning next season. Steigerwald will move over to a communications position within the Pens organization. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Another detail for the expansion Vegas Golden Knights was ironed out on Tuesday when the burgeoning franchise announced an affiliation agreement with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. [NHL]

If the reports are to be believed, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play host to the 2018 All-Star Game. [Raw Charge]