Pens Points: Columbus Awaits

Even with a loss on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins enjoyed a successful southern road trip that saw them bank four of a possible six points to put themselves back in playoff positioning. Now they return to PPG Paints Arena for a five game homestand that begins tonight against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. This run of home games will also be the final time the Penguins play consecutive games on their own ice until the calendar hits April.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on AT&T Sports Network.

Ring in your Tuesday morning with Pens Points...

A quick glance at the schedule this week will show four games between Tuesday and Sunday, giving the Penguins a big opportunity to grab some points. Thursday sticks out as being extra crucial given the opponent. [Pensburgh]

It was a practice day for the Penguins on Monday as they integrated new teammate Dmitri Kulikov into the mix. It looks like Kulikov will be in the lineup tomorrow night as will Jake Guentzel despite being absent on Monday. [Pensburgh]

For all the questions the Penguins carried with them heading into the trade deadline, few were answered despite many moves being made. Perhaps the team is a bit better than before, but a change up top is still needed. [KDKA]

When healthy this season, Tristan Jarry has been very good for the Penguins, though the key words there are ‘when healthy.’ This summer the Penguins will have a tough decision to make on Jarry and his future in Pittsburgh. [The Athletic $$]

News and notes from around the NHL...

With the trade deadline in the rearview, focus now shifts to the ever evolving playoff race. Seeding aside, six teams in the East sit comfortably in playoff positioning while six teams will battle it out for the two wild card slots. [All About the Jersey]

One of the biggest names moved at the trade deadline was Vladamir Tarasenko, going from the St. Louis Blues to the New York Rangers. Now settled in New York, Tarasenko has posted some good box score numbers while the underlying stats aren’t as pretty. [Blueshirt Banter]

Another one of our sister sites who will be leaving the Vox platform at end of March has announced they will be continuing on as an independent website. Raw Charge, covering the Tampa Bay Lightning, are keeping the doors open. [Raw Charge]