Pens Points: Defeating the Undefeated

Highlight reel goals from Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel assured the Penguins at least a point on Wednesday night then Brandon Tanev scored a shorthanded goal in overtime to give the home side the extra point and knock the Colorado Avalanche from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 3-2 victory. [Pensburgh]

Keep on celebrating with this morning’s Pens Points...

Fitting that the Pens were playing the Avalanche last night because it feels like we are constantly buried under an avalanche of injury news. Now it’s Alex Galchenyuk facing a setback in his recovery after an allergic reaction to a spider bite. [Pensburgh]

Elliotte Friedman dropped his latest “31 Thoughts” today and this week’s list contained plenty of fun Penguins tidbits. From discussion on the rise of Sam Lafferty, timelines for Evgeni Malkin, all the way trade talk, there is plenty to check out. [Pensburgh]

Former Penguins defenseman Ian Cole is back on the ice for the Colorado Avalanche following offseason hip surgery. In the year and a half since he was traded away, Cole is shocked by how much change the Penguins have undergone. [Trib Live]

For now, Erik Gudbranson remains apart of the Penguins as trade rumors continue to circle. If he hopes to keep his job with the team and get playing time, he will have to get used to playing on the left side rather than his normal right side. [Trib Live]

In case you didn’t already know, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon are from the same hometown. In the offseason, the two are training partners in Cole Harbour, but tonight, they renew their rivalry as foes on the ice. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

There’s already a few gold medalists that call UPMC Lemieux, but a few more about to stop by in early November. The Penguins practice facility in Cranberry will host a week long training camp for the U.S. and Canada women’s national teams. [Penguins]

Crosby and MacKinnon only meet twice a season and the rivalry is more competition between two great players than anything nasty. For the younger MacKinnon, Crosby is still very much a role model he looks up to. [NHL]

Desperate times call for desperate measures and right now the Penguins are desperate for any healthy body they can find. With Jared McCann sidelined day-to-day, the team had to resort to playing defenseman Juuso Riikola at left wing. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL...

When Shayne Gostisbehere signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as an undrafted free agent from Union College, the early returns were almost universally positive. Now over 300 games into his career, questions about his future are starting to arise. [Broad Street Hockey]

It’s been a struggle to start the season for the New Jersey Devils, and while they aren’t making any changes at head coach right now, they are calling in reinforcements behind the bench with assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald going to ice level. [NHL]

Advanced stats play a major role in the modern NHL, and the many individuals who collect and analyze those stats noticed a change in how the NHL is tracking shots. With the issue brought to attention, the NHL is investigating how it can be fixed. [On the Forecheck]