Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning...
The Penguins met the Carolina Hurricanes last night at PPG Paints Arena with both teams looking to further solidify their positioning in the standings before officially clinching a playoff spot. The Pens got some depth scoring early on in the contest and never looked back, winning the crucial game 3-1. More importantly, the win now means the Penguins can clinch a playoff spot with a victory over the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow. [Recap]
Evgeni Malkin returned to practice over the weekend after suffering an injury in a game against the St. Louis Blues a few weeks back. Geno had some choice words for former Penguin, Robert Bortuzzo, the player who drove his stick into Malkin’s midsection. [Pensburgh]
Mike Sullivan believes the focus for his players should be on clinching a playoff spot before looking at seeding and potential matchups. [Trib Live]
Some Penguins, including Jack Johnson, are feeling pretty healthy ahead of the “best time of the year.” [Trib Live]
Dominik Simon has bounced around the lineup throughout the season, most recently swapping spots between the second and third lines. The winger is still looking for his scoring touch, though. [Post-Gazette]
With the Penguins’ penalty kill on a roll, the team is now hoping they can make their opponents pay. [Post-Gazette]
News and notes from around the NHL...
With more chatter being made of the NHL’s questionable playoff format, the question that arises is: should playoff teams be allowed to pick their opponents? [ESPN]
The city of Calumet, Michigan has won the Kraft Hockeyville contest. [NHL]