It will be a hockey family reunion tonight at PPG Paints Arena when the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Edmonton Oilers to town to wrap up this five game homestand. Returning to Pittsburgh will be longtime
goaltender Tristan Jarry who was just traded last week. On the Penguins side, Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak will lace up their skates for the Penguins for the first time and will be doing so against their former team in the Oilers.
Puck drop for tonight’s game is set for 7:30 PM and will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
Pens Points…
It’s not often aa team banks critical points in the standings and no one is happy about it, but that was the case last week for the Penguins after multiple blown leads led to overtime losses. Now they must regroup a face a new week of challenges while putting the past behind them. [Pensburgh]
Moving on from the mess of last week will take some soul searching among the players and coaches, but in the end, the only way to move forward will be to regain some confidence and start winning games again. That starts with a strong focus on the part of their play that have been working. [Pensburgh]
Just days after being traded away, goaltender Tristan Jarry is back in Pittsburgh, now as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. There will always be mixed feelings about Jarry among Penguins fans, but one person who will not have mixed emotions about the city will be Jarry himself. [PPG]
Jarry will not be the only player having a reunion of sorts tonight. Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak, who the Penguins acquired for Jarry were added to the active roster on Tuesday after they were cleared for immigration and are in line to face their old team later this evening. [Sportsnet]
Now that one whipping boy in Jarry is out of town, it’s time to turn focus to another. During this inexplicable run of blown games, Kris Letang has been the source of frustration for not only fans but within the organization as well. There are no simple options for how the team could navigate this right now. [The Athletic $$]
If the bottom does eventually fall out for the Penguins on the season and they turn into sellers come trade deadline time, there is no shortage of names the team could move for assets. [The Hockey News]
NHL News and Notes…
At long last, the Buffalo Sabres fired general manager Kevyn Adams on Monday and hired Jarmo Kekalainen as his replacement. Currently, the Sabres are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference and on track to miss the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season. [NHL]
Once mainstays on the New York Rangers lineup, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba face their old squad for the first time, both as members of the Anaheim Ducks. Trouba, the former Rangers captain, still cherishes him time with the Rangers and all his former teammates. [NHL]
For the first time this season, Connor McDavid takes home First Star of the Week honors from the NHL after posting 10 points in four games played. Joining McDavid as honorees this week are John Gibson and Joel Eriksson Ek. [NHL]
