Pens Points: Capital Bound

Tuesday will be another off day for the Pittsburgh Penguins, at least from game action, as they rest up and prepare to for a Metro division showdown against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday evening. For the longtime rivals, it will be a matchup of two teams facing similar circumstances, perhaps best illustrated by the pointing Spiderman meme.

Penguins are off on Tuesday but Pens Points is not...

When the Penguins and Capitals meet for the first time on Wednesday night, it will be a battle between two teams sitting in similar positions, trying to right the ship from a rocky stretch before it’s too late. [Pensburgh]

Mike Sullivan loves tweaking his lines and right now the Penguins lineup needs some changes to get going again. One player who get moved around a lot is Danton Heinen, a testament to his versatility. [Trib Live]

Sleep is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle where you’re a pro athlete or just a run of the mill 9-to-5’er. For the Penguins, sleep plays an important role in performance and something the team has heavily invested in. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

The Penguins current seven game skid is uncharted territory for the Penguins under Mike Sullivan, but the head coach refuses to throw in the towel and believes his team has what it takes to rebound and start winning again. [Yard Barker]

One of the more frustrating aspects about the Penguins current losing streak is the cause(s) are easy to point out but there is no easy fix waiting in the wings. It will all come down to player improvement in the problem areas. [The Hockey Writers]

Down goes Drew O’Connor on Sunday and up comes Filip Hallander on Monday. The okan for Hallander remains to be seen as we don’t exactly know the full status of all the injuries currently effecting the Penguins. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

What a mess the Boston Bruins made for themselves with the completely avoidable decision to sign Mitchell Miller. They have now reversed course and released Mitchell, but not before creating an endless storm of bad PR in the process. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

There are many similarities between the current iterations of the Penguins and Capitals, including the inability to close out games when they have a lead. [Japers Rink]

Another Metro side going through a rough patch, albeit a smaller one, has been the New York Rangers. As a result, Gerard Gallant has decided to toy with his lines in hopes of getting back on track. [Blueshirt Banter]