Pens Points: Outdoor Fun

Every year the Penguins head out on a Western Canada road trip and it’s always a grind on the players. Luckily for the Penguins, the schedule maker was a little more favorable this season. Not only does the road trip consist of just the three games, it also included an extra day off and even comes with an extended Christmas break on the back end.

Drop the puck on your Thursday with a new Pens Points...

With an extra day off before heading to Edmonton for a showdown with the Oilers, the Penguins had a little fun at their practice on Wednesday, conducting the session at an outdoor rink in the Calgary suburbs. [Trib Live]

Since there is no need to keep unnecessary bodies around with the salary cap situation, Stefan Noesen has been placed on waivers and will return to the AHL should he clear. It also appears the Penguins have no plans in signing Ilya Kovalchuk. [Pensburgh]

Bryan Rust is American, but he’s very much the Swiss army knife of the Penguins roster. It doesn’t seem to matter where Mike Sullivan slots Rust in the lineup, he always shows up and produces on the ice. [Pensburgh]

Evgeni Malkin scored his 400th career goal on Tuesday night against the Flames and joined some elite Penguins company in the process. Alongside Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Sidney Crosby, Malkin gives the franchise four 400 goal scorers. [Pensburgh]

Joining the likes of Lemieux, Jagr, and Crosby in the 400 goal club is undoubtedly a proud moment for Malkin, but he has no plans on slowing down. Following the game, No. 71 immediately set his sights on the 500 goal club. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

With the Penguins up a goal in the second period against the Flames, Tristan Jarry found himself in a bit of a predicament. After a bad turnover, the Flames raced in on a 2-on-0 and it seemed like a goal was assured until Jarry closed the door. [Penguins]

Even though he hasn’t been the Penguins general manager for the better part of five years now, Ray Shero’s fingerprint on the franchise is still evident. The latest example being new No. 1 goaltender Tristan Jarry. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Even with all the injuries the Penguins have battled through this season, they sit in a great spot standings wise heading into the Christmas break. Once the big guns get healthy and back on the ice, the Pens are primed to make even more noise. [ESPN]

News and notes from around the NHL...

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday to ring the closing bell and announce a new partnership between the league and Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light and Budweiser will now become the official beers of the NHL. [NHL]

Once the new year arrives, trade talk will start to heat up in a big way. As contenders emerge and pretenders fade, those with a shot at the Stanley Cup will be looking to buy, even if it’s just for the short term. [Sportsnet]