Pens Points: Stealing Two Points

Another less than ideal start for the Pittsburgh Penguins forced them to play catch up most of the night against the Washington Capitals, but just like Sunday, they battled all the way back and stole a pair of points in overtime.

Casey DeSmith was back in net but struggled in the early going before settling down. Teddy Blueger scored a rare two-man shorthanded goal and Evgeni Malkin found the twine for the first time this season. Jake Guentzel also opened his goal scoring account with his first of the season.

In the overtime session, Sidney Crosby called game by depositing a rebound and topping off the two-game sweep of the rivals Capitals. [Pensburgh]

Start your ‘hump day’ with a fresh helping of Pens Points...

While the Penguins will take points anyway they can get them, Tuesday’s win to come at a cost. Injuries to defensmen Marcus Pettersson and Jusso Riikola forced the Penguins to play the final 20 minutes and change with only four blue liners. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

No fans in the stands has given the Penguins plenty of time to complete a few upgrades to PPG Paints Arena. In an effort to make the arena safer for everyone when the doors open back up, a number of health and safety improvements have been made. [Penguins]

Sam Lafferty has been relegated to the taxi squad for the time being with the arrival of Kasperi Kapanen, but that doesn’t mean the Penguins see Lafferty as an expendable piece. There will be a time down the road he will be called upon to step up. [Trib Live]

During his time in Pittsburgh, defenseman Justin Schultz experienced a career renaissance that saw him win two Stanley Cups and be rewarded with a nice pay day. He was honored with a video montage on Sunday in front of a mostly empty arena. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL...

In what is likely just to first of many this season, the NHL announced the postponement of Tuesday night’s contest between the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators for precautionary purposes related to COVID-19. [NHL]

Even though it’s been almost a year since fans have attended NHL games, seeing empty arenas still shocks the system. For media covering the games, being in attendance with no one else around gives off an eerie feeling. [Bleacher Report]

When fans can return to games relies on an abundance of factors. In some places, a limited number of fans are already allowed to attend with safety procedures in place. In other places, until local regulations change the buildings will remain empty. [ESPN]