Pens Points: Devils, Devils, Devils

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

Injuries are (once again) mounting up for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The club has lost John Marino, Teddy Blueger, Jason Zucker, Jared McCann, and Evgeni Malkin for various, perhaps extended, periods of time. And with the team being held together with string and glue, this may prove to be Ron Hextall’s first, big test as GM. [PensBurgh]

The Malkin and Blueger injuries could be the biggest blows to the team, especially because both forwards were playing their best hockey of the season. With Blueger out “longer-term” and Malkin’s status still unannounced, the Penguins’ already-shaky center depth will be tested once again. [Post-Gazette]

The Penguins yesterday announced that Josh Maniscalco and Radim Zohorona have been re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [Trib Live]

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Penguins Foundation, along with the NHL, NHLPA and DICK’S Sporting Goods, are offering hockey equipment to select families throughout Greater Pittsburgh that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Folks, the Buffalo Sabres are not a good hockey team. With the team struggling in just about every facet of the game, the organization decided it was time to move on from head coach Ralph Krueger. [Die By The Blade]

And if that was not bad enough, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams came out and said he is open to ‘anything and everything,’ including trading Taylor Hall... if not more. [NHL]

What are some of the other surprises and disappointments through the first half of the 2021 season? [NBC Sports]

The 2021 NHL season in a nutshell: New York Rangers head coach David Quinn and assistant coaches Jacques Martin, David Oliver, and Greg Brown were all unavailable for last night’s game due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. [Blueshirt Banter]