Pens Points: Showtime in Chi-Town

The Pittsburgh Penguins resume action tonight when they hit the ice in the Windy City to take on the underwhelming Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday Night Hockey. Before the lights shine bright between these two storied franchises....

Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning...

At the most crucial point in the game against the Islanders on Monday, Bryan Rust and Zach Aston-Reese put their bodies on the line to prevent the game-winning goal from hitting twine. Kaitlyn Dividock took it upon herself to examine this critical penalty kill’s performance. [Pensburgh]

As we hit mid-December, it’s time to look at the progress reports of the Penguins’ best prospects so far. [Pensburgh]

Do the advanced metrics like Pittsburgh’s odds of righting the ship after a rocky start? [Pensburgh]

Let’s not undermine Derick Brassard’s crucial role in Monday’s win either. [Trib Live]

It seems to be a one step forward, two steps back kind of process for Patric Hornqvist as he aims to return from his injury. [Trib Live]

Jamie Oleksiak is incredibly thankful for the time and effort his father put into not only his hockey career, but also his sister, Penny’s, swimming career. [Trib Live]

As Matt Murray inches closer to a return between the pipes, the moment of truth will be coming with him. [Trib Live]

How might the win versus the Senators help the Penguins moving forward? [Post-Gazette]

GM Jim Rutherford has been pleased with the evolution of the defensemen. [Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Even at 33, with a Stanley Cup and a plethora of individual goal-scoring and other NHL records in his name, Alex Ovechkin is still learning new tricks. [ESPN]

Interested in knowing what the cost of going to a Penguins game or other hockey or sporting event is? The minds of datascience@Berkeley, the online masters in data science program from UC Berkeley have compiled all sorts of data to give the sports fan the most bang for their buck. [datascience@Berkeley]

Do you understand the NHL’s holiday roster freeze? No? Well, my friend, you’re in luck. [Pension Plan Puppets]