Pens Points: Familiar Foe

A key week of Metro division matchups begins tonight at PPG Paints Arena where the Penguins begin a home-and-home series with the New York Islanders. This will be the first trip to Pittsburgh for the Islanders since sweeping the Penguins out of the playoffs back in April. The two sides met in Brooklyn less than two weeks ago with the Penguins skating away victorious in overtime.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on AT&T Sports Network.

Get your game day started with a new Pens Points...

Throughout his time in hockey, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has defied the odds at every turn. On Monday night he did it once more, being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. [Trib Live]

Twenty games is just about the quarter mark of an NHL season and that’s where the Penguins sit as they prepare to face the Islanders. This point in the season seems like a good time to sit down and hand out some player grades. [Pensburgh]

Jim Rutherford is the reason Mike Sullivan is in Pittsburgh where he won two Stanley Cup titles and rose to one of the best coaches in the league. On Monday, Sullivan was on hand in Toronto to watch his boss be inducted into the Hall of Fame. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

When the Penguins acquired Dominik Kahun over the summer, expectations were high for the new winger because his style seemed to fit the Penguins. After a rough start to the season, Kahun is starting to make his mark. [Penguins]

Penguins director of player personnel Derek Clancey will be inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in January. Clancey spent eight seasons in the ECHL and is currently the 23rd all-time leading scorer in league history. [Penguins]

While the Penguins power play is still trying to work out of its current funk, the penalty kill has been among the best in the league. Not only are they limiting goals for the opposition, the penalty kill is scoring quite a bit on their own. [Trib Live]

Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Justin Schultz, Jared McCann, and a slew of others all came to Pittsburgh through the work of Jim Rutherford. Through big moves or small moves, Rutherford has certainly left his mark on the franchise. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Connor McDavid posted 10 points in three games last week, giving him first star honors running away from the pack. Coming in behind him this week were Nathan MacKinnon and Keith Yandle. [NHL]

Enhanced data tracking is coming to the NHL and could be in all arenas by the time the playoffs begin in April. With these state of the art tech measures in place, it could revolutionize the way fans watch and understand the game. [Toronto Star]