Pens Points: Toronto in Town

Monday was a scheduled off day for the Penguins before they begin a home-and-home set with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. As a result, there was little to no team news to report on with the team away from the rink.

Puck drop for tonight’s showdown with the point hungry Maple Leafs is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on AT&T Sports Network. The two sides will complete their home-and-home set on Thursday night back in Toronto.

Get your game day started with all the news in Pens Points...

Jim Rutherford doesn’t shy away from pulling the trigger early and getting his trade work out of the way well before the deadline hits. Pulling in Jason Zucker early may prove to be another savvy move from the veteran general manager. [Pensburgh]

It’s safe to say that Jack Johnson has his fair share of critics among the Penguins fan base and much of the criticism is well earned. Even with his occasional struggles on the ice, Johnson is feeling more comfortable in his second season with the Penguins. [Trib Live]

With the Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Capitals on tap for the rest of this week’s action, it’s important we get to know our upcoming foes a bit better. Toronto id fighting for a playoff spot and Buffalo remains stuck in neutral. As for the Caps, well they’re the Caps. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Three Pittsburgh area arenas have been named finalists for the Penguins “Renovate the Rink” contest. Beaver County Ice Arena, Belmont Complex, and S&T Arena will battle it out to see who will win $100,000 worth of arena upgrades. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

In the absence of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl has elevated his game and carried the Edmonton Oilers. For his strong play, the NHL named Draisaitl the “First Star of the Week” ahead of Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tyler Toffoli. [NHL]

With the Stanley Cup playoff field starting to take shape, a few teams have cemented themselves as early Stanley Cup favorites. While the Boston Bruins hold the NHL’s best record, it’s the white hot Tampa Bay Lightning leading the charge in Vegas. [Yahoo!]

As we enter the final stretch to the NHL trade deadline, moves could drop at anytime and can be difficult to keep up with, especially once deadline day arrives next Monday. Luckily there are places that keep everything in line for the fans. [NBC Sports]