Coming off a loss in Chicago to open their first major road trip of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins will now continue heading west and climb to a mile above sea level for a meeting with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night to open a back-to-back set that will conclude on Saturday in Las Vegas against the defending Western Conference champion Golden Knights. The Penguins will then wrap up the trip with a stop in Salt Lake City to exchange pleasantries with the Mammoth.
Pens Points…
Tuesday night will not
be remembered longingly by Sergei Murashov after his performance against the Chicago Blackhawks. His late game gaffe cost the Penguins at least a point, but those type of mistakes are commonplace for young goaltenders entering the league. [Pensburgh]
Coming off a forgettable start to the season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were looking to make amends in their second weekend of action and they did so in a big way, outscoring the opposition 13-3 in blowout road victories over Hartford and Providence. [Pensburgh]
It doesn’t matter what contract Ville Koivunen signed over the summer, his roster spot is not guaranteed and he’s well aware of that. Every night will still be an audition for Koivunen with plenty of players ready and waiting to take his spot at any moment. [Trib Live]
Forward depth will not be an issue for the Penguins this season, having already traded one forward to ease some of the log jam. By adding Ryan Johnson from Buffalo, the Penguins added depth to the blue line which is never a bad thing over the course of a long season. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
Simon Edvinsson and the Detroit Red Wings remain at an impasse, with the former having lodged a trade request away from the team. Despite the current status of the situation, the Red Wings remain steadfast and have no plans on moving the young defenseman. [NHL]
In a unique bit of hockey history, the Tkachuk brothers teamed up for an NHL first on Tuesday night. Brady Tkachuk scored a natural hat trick against the Columbus Blue Jackets with brother Matthew assisting on all three tallies, the first time that has happened in the NHL. [On Tap Sportsnet]
A whopping 320 NHL players currently have a No Trade Clause attached to their current contracts. That works out to roughly 60% of the league’s rostered players who are eligible for the NTC distinction and it’s a number that just keeps growing every year. [The Athletic $$]
