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I’m afraid this may be a slow news week surrounding the Penguins at least until Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang report to San Jose for the All-Star game at the end of the week. You surely know by now that the Penguins are on their CBA mandated bye week which happens to coincide with the All-Star break. Whatever news does pop up over the next week you can be certain to find it right here on Pensburgh.
Stay warm and toasty with this morning’s Pens Points...
During the Penguins nine-game win streak a few weeks back, the defense was playing the best it has all season and the results were showing the same. During this recent rough patch following the long win streak, the glaring inconsistent play on the blue line is beginning to show itself once again. [Pensburgh]
While the defense has see-sawed in their performance for most of the season, the offense has continued to hum at its normally effective pace. This style of play is nothing new for the Penguins and it has been effective at time in terms of winning hockey games, but will it be enough to carry them when it matters most. [Trib Live]
Red Sullivan, the first head coach in Penguins history, passed away on Saturday at his home in Canada. Sullivan coached the Penguins during their first two season of existence in the NHL from 1967-1969. Sullivan was 89. [Trib Live]
There will be no World Cup of Hockey in 2020 after the NHL and NHLPA decided to nix the next iteration of the tournament at least for the time being. If tournament would have gone off as planned, then Mike Sullivan should have been the likely frontrunner to lead Team USA. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
When the Penguins return from their bye week/All-Star break, they will have plenty of questions still to answer in the final stretch of the season. Currently in a playoff spot but as the bottom seed in the East, the Penguins better find some answers or they could be on the outside looking in. [The Hockey Writers]
News and notes from around the NHL...
Don’t look now but the New York Islanders are on top of the Metropolitan division as the All-Star break approaches. Their ascendency can be tied directly to the play of goaltender Robin Lehner who has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. [NHL]