Pens Points: COVID Protocol strikes again

A no fun, very bad week for the Pittsburgh Penguins is now in the rearview and they can start looking forward to getting back on track this week. Only problem for them now is they must wait until Thursday to get back on the ice. Between now and then, they’ll just be playing a waiting game while trying to find ways to improve in practice.

Roll into Monday with a fresh Pens Points...

A rough week for the Penguins sees them fall from a playoff position all the way to the bottom of the Metropolitan division. Good news, it’s still very early in the season and there isn’t that much separation between the teams yet. [Pensburgh]

Without any of their top three centers available for various reasons, the Penguins turned to Evan Rodrigues to anchor the top line. While seeing Rodrigues in that role isn’t what fans were expecting, it’s hardly his first time stepping into the spotlight. [Pensburgh]

Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel are the latest Penguins to be added to the league’s COVID-19 protocol. No news announcing whether either player tested positive and it may be a few days before we know more with the long layoff this week. [Trib Live]

After years of waiting in the wings for his opportunity, Chad Ruhwedel finally cracked the lineup as a regular on he blue line this season. While his trip to the protocol list is a setback, Ruhwedel won’t let this put a stop to all his hard work. [Trib Live]

As a result of Pettersson and Ruhwedel entering protocol the Penguins recalled defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from the AHL. [Penguins]

Saturday night marked the Penguins third straight loss but it also marked the return of Sidney Crosby to the lineup. Although it was great to see the captain back in the lineup, his game still has a lot of rust to brush off. [ESPN]

Many may have forgotten about Juuso Riikola, but they got a reminder of his presence on Saaturday night. With the start, Riikola saw his first game action in nine months and recorded an assist against the New Jersey Devils. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

As the fallout from the Chicago Blackhawks scandal continues to reverberate across the NHL, commissioner Gary Bettman met with Kyle Beach this weekend to discuss ways the NHL can improve its protection for players. [NHL]