Pens Points: Washington Awaits

Here are your Pens Points for this Tuesday morning...

Mike Matheson’s recent run of form highlights one of the main reasons Jim Rutherford acquired the defenseman before the season began. [Trib Live]

P.O Jospeh has come back down to earth a little bit over his last handful of games. If Joseph continues to struggle, and Brian Dumoulin remains sidelined due to injury, might the Penguins look at elevating Marcus Pettersson to the top pairing? [PensBurgh]

Tristan Jarry and Kris Letang are the two key cogs that will either help the Penguins sink or swim moving forward. [PensBurgh]

Speaking of Jarry, take a look at what he and goalie coach Mike Buckley have been working on to help get the young netminder back to his winning ways. [Post-Gazette]

Sam Lafferty has turned into quite the hit machine. [Trib Live]

It was announced yesterday that veteran defenseman Yannick Weber has been reassigned to the taxi squad, while Kevin Czuczman will return to the AHL. [PensBurgh]

How the Penguins operate in the neutral zone will have a hand in determining their success against the Capitals. [Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

In a surprising development with international implications, New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin has taken a leave of absence from the team following the publication of a story in Russia which alleges he “beat up” an 18-year-old girl in Latvia back in 2011. [Blueshirt Banter]

Can the NHL’s weekend at Lake Tahoe be considered a success? It was a bumpy ride, but the league somehow pulled it off. [CBS Sports]