An exciting, if perhaps unexpected, month of October for the Pittsburgh Penguins came to a close last night with a 4-1 road victory over the Minnesota Wild to push their record to 8-2-2 as the calendar
flip to November. The Penguins trailed 1-0 after the first period where they had a goal wiped off the board due to a suspect goalie interference call. That turned out to be a non issue for the Penguins who rattled off four unanswered goals in the final 40 minutes of the game to claim another victory and notch a point in eight straight contests. [Pensburgh]
Halloween will serve as an off day for the Penguins before they begin their November slate on Saturday in Winnipeg.
Pens Points…
Not every move has panned out for Kyle Dubas since he took over the Pittsburgh Penguins, but what he’s done as a whole has certainly tipped the scales in the Penguins favor both in the short term and, perhaps more importantly, in the longer term. [The Athletic $$]
Aside from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, no one has been hotter for the Penguins this season than Justin Brazeau. The towering forward figured to mostly help the team fill out the bottom six, but injuries pushed him up the depth chart and he has seized his opportunity. [Pensburgh]
By playing in last night’s game against the Wild, Ben Kindel has appeared in 10 games this season, kicking off his entry level contract. Players on ELC deals can play in nine game before being sent back to juniors without their deal officially beginning. That is now off the table for Kindel. [PPG]
This is a huge step for Kindel in his continued development as a hockey player and he becomes the first Penguin to take this route since Jordan Staal. It also serves as a stamp of approval from the front office that they trust Kindel and believe he is better served taking NHL minutes. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
Another big potential 2026 free agent comes off the board with the Colorado Avalanche and Martin Necas agreeing to terms on a new eight-yard contract extension. Necas was dealt to Colorado last season as a part of the Mikko Rantenen trade with Carolina. [NHL]
There is a ton of great, young talent currently playing in the NHL and there is much more on the way in the coming years. Matthew Schaefer went from top pick to the NHL without thinking twice and Ivan Demidov might be the most exciting young player in hockey at the moment. [ESPN]
