Pens Points: Almost There

Bye week drags on but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let Thursday’s Pens Points hold you over...

A week after naming the All-Star captains for the respective divisions, the NHL announced the players to fill out the rosters in Tampa Bay at the end of the month. Representing the Penguins will be captain Sidney Crosby and the much maligned defenseman Kris Letang. [Pensburgh]

With less than two dozen career NHL games to his name, Daniel Sprong has made a positive impact during his two stints with the Penguins so far. A lot of the success he has from here on out, can be attributed to his development down on the farm with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL. [Penguins]

One reason for the Penguins’ struggles this season has been their comically low shooting percentage through three months of play. Even just a small correction in the numbers should help propel the Pens towards a playoff spot in the second half of the season. [Trib Live]

At times it seemed like there was nothing positive about the way the Penguins have played to this point in the season. Even though things have not gone as planned for the two time defending Stanley Cup champions, there were still plenty of positives from the first half of the season that will hopefully carry over. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Depending on where you park for games or events at PPG Paints Arena, you may need to start looking for a new space. Following years of planning and deadlines, the Penguins are finally ready to begin construction at the old Civic Arena site this year. [WPXI]

Strong play earned Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby the NHL’s Third Star of the Week last week and may be a sign the superstar center is heating up at just the right time for a playoff push. [The Hockey Writers]

News and notes from around the NHL...

With plenty of hockey still left to play across the league, there is no shortage of great storylines to watch as the season comes down the homestretch. [CBC]

After requesting a trade out of the desert, Anthony Duclair got his wish on Wednesday when the Coyotes dealt the young forward to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Richard Panik. [Sporting News]