Pens Points: Let the Season Begin
Let’s do that hockey.
FOLKS! We have real, regular-season hockey tonight featuring our favorite flightless birds. The puck drops against the New York Rangers at 7:30 p.m. ET. Before we get to the fun stuff...
Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning...
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ bottom-six last season was, well, a whole lot of meh. This year, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas wants to see more offense from the bottom-six forward lines. Can that happen? [PensBurgh]
Hooks is back again with another look at the Metropolitan Division standings. Where will Pittsburgh finish when the dust settles in April 2025? [PensBurgh]
Thursday’s game between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena has been rescheduled for a start time closer to 8 p.m. ET. This change comes because the Detroit Tigers will play in Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Detroit’s Comerica Park. The Penguins postponed the Red Wings in the preseason, so turnabout is fair play. [Trib Live]
On Tuesday, injured forward Bryan Rust participated in the final mandatory practice session before Wednesday night’s tilt. While Rust remains on injured reserve, it’s a promising sign in Rust’s rehabilitation process for a lower-body injury. [Trib Live]
Entering the first year of a three-year contract extension, head coach Mike Sullivan had a chance to quell some of his critics’ narratives. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL...
The Rangers’ franchise goalie, Igor Shesterkin, has reportedly turned down the team’s offer to become the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. Shesterkin was presented with an eight-year, $88 million extension, according to ESPN sources. [ESPN]
With the Seattle Kraken’s first game in the books (a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues), the team also made history in the losing effort. Assistant coach Jessica Campbell became the first woman to ever coach an NHL game. [Sports Illustrated]
Would NHL commissioner Gary Bettman be in favor of adding a hypothetical expansion team in six months a la the Utah Hockey Club? “Absolutely,” he said. [Deseret News]