Pens Points: Late Night Hockey

Hope sleep is not a priority for you because you won’t be getting much over the next few days if you plan on watching the Penguins trek through Western Canada. The annual road trip through Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver kicks off tonight against the Oilers at Rexall Place.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 PM and will be broadcast on AT&T Sports Network.

Pens are back in action tonight, but first, catch up on the latest news in today’s Pens Points...

After four days off the Penguins will be back in action tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. This means they will be facing Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid who is off to an expected hot start this season. Stopping McDavid will be key to coming out of Edmonton with two points in the bag. [Penguins]

Coming off an already long summer, this early season schedule has given the Penguins a little extra down time. While the breaks are nice way to ease themselves back into the grind of the NHL season, the Penguins are ready to get back on the ice and play a more consistent schedule going forward. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Through six games, captain Sidney Crosby has already played with five different wingers alongside him on the top line. That number could continue to grow given Mike Sullivan’s propensity for swapping lines in an attempt to find the perfect fit. [Trib Live]

Stop me if you have heard this one before: the Penguins are currently searching for some much needed secondary scoring. Having a big three of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel is nice, but when those guys go cold, the Pens need their depth players to step up and find the back of the net. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Kris Letang is often maligned in Pittsburgh for his inconsistent play or defensive lapses. Regardless of the mistakes, Letang is undoubtedly one of the best defensemen to ever pull on a Penguins uniform, but just where does he rank among the all-time greats in franchise history to have patrolled the blue line? [Pensburgh]

A long road trip combined with some friendly scheduling gave the Penguins a chance to unwind and bond as teammates during a brief stop over in Banff National Park. Thanks to social media, us fans got a front row seat to all the fun the team was having on their mini-vacation. [Pensburgh]

Following this long Western Canada road trip, the Penguins will return home to PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday, October 30th to take on the New York Islanders. Being one day before Halloween, this game is the perfect time for the team to host a very spooky theme night. [Penguins]

All of our dear readers have certainly been listening to our brand new podcast and we hope you are enjoying it. Our latest episode is now live where our hosts talk puck with former Penguins forward Sean Pronger. Make sure to give it a listen and feel free to drop us a good rating as well. [Pensburgh]

News and notes from around the NHL...

With six goals in three games last week, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. Joining Landeskog on the podium was Connor McDavid of the Oilers and our old friend Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights. [NHL]

Hockey is a fast game where decisions have to be made in the blink of an eye. This is especially true for the officials calling the game who need to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Referee François St-Laurent showed off his cat like reflexes by catching a stick out of midair over the weekend. [Yahoo! Sports]

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones missed the team’s opening seven games of the new season recovering from an MCL injury. The team announced Monday that Jones has been activated from injured reserve and expected to make his season debut tonight. [NBCSports]