Pens Points: The End

You know the story already. Pittsburgh Penguins squander third period lead and fall to the New York Rangers in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Rangers move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes, the Penguins head home as the curtain possibly closes on the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Kris Letang era. [Pensburgh]

Much more from us in the coming days and weeks breaking down the season and trying to piece together what comes next.

Pens Points...

With everything on the line in Game 7, the Penguins received some much needed reinforcements. Forwards Sidney Crosby and Rikard Rakell were back in the lineup and Tristan Jarry returned to his rightful place in between the pipes. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Much like last playoffs, the Penguins hopes laid on the shoulders of Tristan Jarry. He was able to recover in time to return for Game 7, but he couldn’t help the Penguins solve the Rangers to move on. [Pensburgh]

While a trio of players returned for Game 7, the Penguins did suffer a loss behind the bench prior to puck drop. Assistant coach Mike Vellucci was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocols and was forced to the sidelines for the do-or-die contest. [Trib Live]

A symptom of playing your third string goaltender is your numbers reek to high heaven. That’s the case with the Penguins when looking at their expected goals compared to their goals given up. They are far exceeding their expected number. [Pensburgh]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Nicklas Backstrom and the Washington Capitals exited the playoffs on Friday, and for Backstrom, it may have been the last time. Backstrom’s future is clouded in doubt after he revealed a persistent hip injury during his last media availability. [NHL]