Pens Points: New Month, New Beginnings?

Never has any hockey team been happier to see the calendar flip to a new month than the Pittsburgh Penguins are to see November arrive so they can begin to put the nightmares of October behind them. It’s still a few days until the Penguins play their first game of the new month on Saturday, but the sooner October came to an end the better for all involved.

Pens Points...

It was an October to forget for the Penguins, going 3-6-0 in nine games and finishing with their worst points percentage since Sidney Crosby’s rookie season. [Pensburgh]

In response to the death of former Penguin Adam Johnson over the weekend, the Penguins are mandating neck and wrist guards for all players at the ECHL and AHL level. [The Hockey News]

If everything you saw from the Penguins over the opening month of the season felt familiar, there is a reason for that and it’s not good news heading forward. [Pensburgh]

Hockey players LOVE going all out for Halloween and the Penguins are no different as seen during their annual team Halloween party held last month. [Penguins]

Prior to Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Penguins honored former teammate Adam Johnson with a special twist on the traditional moment of silence. [SI]

A loss in the style of Monday night can be the type of loss that ushers in big changes and while we don’t know what will happen, change does appear to be on the way. [The Hockey News]

Poor performances all around in October don’t leave much room for many Penguins to receive sterling grades for their play during the opening month. [The Athletic $$]

While it may seem like the Penguins are without hope, there are some silver linings to take away from the opening month of play that the team can build on to improve. [Substack]

NHL News and Notes...

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to force through much needed change, and that certainly appears to be what is happening following the untimely death of Adam Johnson. [Sportsnet]