It was a much needed four day break for a battered Pittsburgh Penguins team, but now the schedule resumes and it wastes no time throwing the team right back into the fight with another matchup against the Utah Mammoth, the same team that just beat up on the Penguins 11 days ago to close out a rather forgettable Western Conference road trip.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.
Pens Points…
Trade rumors never cease in the NHL and one Penguin keeps popping up as a possible
name of interest for teams. Despite his slow start to the season, Rickard Rakell remains a hot topic of conversation in the rumor mill as some teams reportedly may be inquiring on his services. [Pensburgh]
October is coming to a close and many Penguins prospects are already more than a month into the seasons depending on where they play. This month brought the arrival of college hockey, adding more prospects to the mix, some of which are already scorching hot. [Pensburgh]
A flurry of roster moves were made by the Penguins on Wednesday ahead of their game against Utah. Justin Brazeau has been activated from IR while Elmer Soderblom heads there. Avery Hayes and Chase Pietila were both sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as well. [The Hockey News]
Justin Brazeau was one of the early season surprises for the Penguins last season, but so far this season, he has yet to make an appearance for the team. Sidelined by injury since the start, Brazeau is now healthy and ready to lace them up whenever he number gets called. [Trib Live]
Another injured player who seems to be close to a return is defenseman Sam Girard. Though he never went to injured reserve, Girard has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. [Trib Live]
Nobody was happier to see Ben Kindel back at practice this week than Kindel himself. After suffering a medical episode on the team’s flight home from Salt Lake City, Kindel has been recovering in Pittsburgh and looks to be on track to return sooner rather than later. [Trib Live]
As per tradition, the Penguins players and their loved ones went all out to celebrate Halloween this year. Evgeni Malkin ironically went as a NASA astronaut (IYKYK) while Bryan Rust showed his dad side by dressing up as Bert from Sesame Street. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
It was a long road back to the NHL for Semyon Varlamov, but after nearly two years away from the game battling injuries, the long time Russian netminder recorded his first win since November 2024 earlier this week and was mobbed by his teammates on the ice. [NHL]
It’s no secret that the NHL salary is projected to keep rising to historic heights in the coming years, but exactly how high it will go has not yet been determined. It’s already projected to be $113.5 million next season, with no signs of that pace slowing down. [Sportsnet]
