Pens Points: Calm Before the Chaos

A day off Monday gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a nice reprieve before returning to practice on Tuesday in preparation for a busy end of week schedule. Wednesday will be another practice day before the New Jersey Devils come into town on Thursday and the first of four meetings against the New York Rangers scheduled for Saturday.

Welcome Wednesday with a hot new Pens Points...

Contact or no contact, it was nice seeing Teddy Blueger back on the ice on Tuesday with the rest of the team as he continues to recover from a broken jaw. According to Mike Sullivan, there remains to definitive timetable for his return to the lineup. [Pensburgh]

In some other injury related news, forward Drew O’Connor was activated from injured reserve and promptly sent down to the AHL. Radim Zohorna was also demoted and Mark Friedman was sent to Wilkes-Barre on a conditioning assignment. [Pensburgh]

With less than a month to go until the NHL trade deadline, rumors and news are certain to pick up in the coming weeks. There isn’t much the Penguins have in terms of needs, but don’t expect them to stay completely silent as the deadline nears. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Over the weekend, the Penguins agreed to a contract extension with defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. It was a well earned extension for Ruhwedel, who worked it way into a permanent job after years as the team’s No. 7 blue liner. [Trib Live]

This season was anything but enjoyable for Sidney Crosby when it began with surgery and a bout of COVID. Since getting healthy and back in action, Crosby has looked every but the elite player he has been for so many years now. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Sunday’s game did not turn out in the Penguins favor, but that will not be the last time the Penguins get a crack at the Carolina Hurricanes. With three regular season contests and the playoffs still to come, their showdown is just getting started. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL...

In one of the more bizarre incidents in the NHL this season, Nathan MacKinnon slashes a referee on accident after missing an opponent he was aiming for. Upon review by the league, there will be no discipline handed down to the Avalanche star. [Sportsnet]

Fans are a vital part of the NHL’s business structure and were sorely missed throughout the pandemic. Now that fans are back and arenas filling up, a pair of them are looking for ways the NHL can be more open to fans with special needs. [FiveThirtyEight]