Pens Points: Resting Up

Wednesday was a much needed day off for the Pittsburgh Penguins who are coming off consecutive lopsided losses to the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. They will get another day of rest tomorrow before completing this road trip with another back-to-back set against the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken on Friday and Saturday.

Here is Pens Points for this final Thursday of October...

After years of development, Sam Poulin made his NHL debut on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames. There were good and bad moments from Poulin’s debut, but he showed he belongs with the big boys in the NHL. [Pensburgh]

There are still many questions surrounding Poulin and where exactly he fits in at the NHL level, but those will be answered in due time. As for his debut, it’s hard too say too much negative about a guy making his first start on hours notice. [Trib Live]

When your son makes his NHL debut, you make every effort to be there in person to witness the moment. When Poulin’s family learned of the news, they went into a manic rush to get packed and reach the airport for a flight to Calgary. [Penguins]

Loss to the Oilers aside, Tristan Jarry has been playing at a very high level this season. Positioning is an important part of playing the position, and that is an area Jarry excels in and helps set him apart. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

On Saturday, the Penguins will be in Seattle to take on the Kraken, marking their second ever visit to the Emerald City. Seattle will be without starting goaltender Philip Grubauer and are likely to face a more familiar foe in Martin Jones. [Davy Jones Locker Room]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Hockey has a new Ironman as Phil Kessel surpassed Keith Yandle for the all-time NHL record with 990 consecutive games played. On the same night, Kessel added another milestone to his mantle by scoring his 400th career NHL goal. [Knights on Ice]

In the offseason, the New Jersey Devils reconfigured their blue line by acquiring Jon Marino from the Penguins in exchange for Ty Smith. It’s paid off for the Devils as Marino has started the season on an unexpected hot streak. [All About the Jersey]