Pens Points: Duel in D.C.

Get yourself ready for tonight’s contest with today’s Pens Points...

During Monday night’s loss to the Ducks, Jake Guentzel found himself riding the bench following a brutal turnover that led directly to the Ducks tying goal in the second period. Guentzel’s benching was a display of Mike Sullivan using his greatest power as the team’s head coach. [Pensburgh]

After playing the Carolina Hurricanes this coming Saturday, the Penguins will enter the Christmas break where no team activities can be conducted between December 23-26. With players away celebrating the holiday with their families, general managers are prohibited from making any roster moves until the roster freeze lifts on December 28th. [Pensburgh]

Trailing in the third period against the Ducks, the Penguins were awarded consecutive power play opportunities, including a brief stint of 5-on-3 time. The Penguins were unable to come up with an equalizer during the extended man advantage time and ultimately lost the game. Evgeni Malkin talked to the media on Tuesday and stressed the importance of getting on board when the power play is on the ice. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

For the third time since Thanksgiving, the Penguins lost a game after winning the previous two, preventing them from potentially stacking some much needed wins. Their inability to string wins together has exposed a serious lack of consistency with the team this season. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Penguins fans come from far and wide to see their favorite team play at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Recently, Penguins fan Marco Kunz traveled all the way from Switzerland to watch his favorite team play in person. Kunz, a fan since 2005, made the trip to see the team take on the Flyers, Avalanche, and Islanders earlier in December. [Penguins]

With healthy bodies ready to make a return to the lineup, the Penguins had to make room with a pair of roster moves on Monday. Jean-Sebastien Dea was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL and Garrett Wilson was placed on waivers. If Wilson clears waivers, he will join Dea in Wilkes/Barre. [Trib Live]

As players come and go between the Penguins and their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, some guys are passed over when it comes to call ups. One of those players often passed over is Teddy Blueger, who remains optimistic his time in the NHL will come despite going through frustrating times in the AHL. [The Athletic $$$]

News and notes from around the NHL...

After a long road back from a concussion suffered last season, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford returns to the injured reserve list with another concussion suffered over the weekend after his head made contact with a goal post following a collision in front of goal. [NHL]

There are good teams in the Eastern Conference and there are bad teams in the Eastern Conference. No matter how good a team may look on the ice any given night, there are still weaknesses that could bring any club down if properly exposed at the worst possible time. [Sportsnet]

Trade season is officially upon us as teams begin to reinforce their rosters for the upcoming playoff chase. General managers will be busy on their phones in the coming weeks and many have a long history and being very active on the trade market as they attempt to build a Stanley Cup champion. [The Athletic $$$]