Pens Points: California Dreaming

Momentum will be with the Pittsburgh Penguins as they prepare to head to the West Coast to begin a four game road trip that sees them face the three California teams then wraps up on Long Island next week. Tuesday night’s win over the Colorado Avalanche was perhaps a stolen victory but the points count all the same. Now they will look to build on that starting Friday as the playoff chase continues to roll along.

Your latest Pens Points starts now...

Ron Hextall was given a shot by the new ownership last offseason to prove himself and the bill is coming do very soon. What happens to the Penguins these next few weeks will likely determine Hextall’s future with the team. [Pensburgh]

Josh Archibald made his return to the lineup on Tuesday night and made his presence known. Archibald played his role perfectly against the Avalanche and was a big boost to the team and especially on the penalty kill. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

There was a time less than a year ago where a portion of the Penguins fan base was ready to move on from Evgeni Malkin for a younger replacement. His play this season has made those fans look more foolish than they even did at the time. [Pensburgh]

There was a lot of speculation about the future of P.O. Joseph coming into the season, including some pretty heavy trade rumors. All he’s done has turned into one of the Penguins key blue liners and looks to have cemented his home in Pittsburgh. [Fan Nation]

News and notes from around the NHL...

One of the biggest producers for the Rangers last season was their aptly named “Kid Line” of Alexis Lafrenière, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko. Early struggles this season saw the line broken up, but a case remains to keep them together. [Blueshirt Banter]

A breakthrough season for the New Jersey Devils has them dreaming big and that means they will be buying at the trade deadline. If they want to compete for a Cup, brining in a big name from the St. Louis Blues could boost their odds. [All About the Jersey]

It was a good first 40 minutes on Tuesday night for the Avalanche, but a foot off the gas approach in the third period gave the Penguins life. This has been ongoing occurrence for the Avs this season and something that needs fixed. [Mile High Hockey]