A road trip that started in Boston with a victory came to a close on Sunday night in the exact same fashion as the Pittsburgh Penguins prevailed over the New Jersey Devils 5-2 and will return home riding a three game win streak. With the sweep of the Devils, the Penguins remain just two points out of first place with just 14 games remaining. [Pensburgh]
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Apparently Ron Hextall wasn’t waiting until the last second to make any trades, and decided to get some work done around midnight on the East Coast. Reports surfaced late that Jeff Carter was on his way to Pittsburgh in exchange for some draft picks. [Jewels from the Crown]
With just four weeks left in the season, the Eastern Division is shaping up to a a four team race to the finish line. Any of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, or Boston Bruins could come out on top. [Pensburgh]
Everyone knows about the big offensive guns the Penguins have at the forward position, but what makes this team especially lethal is the offense from the blue line. When those players are producing, it becomes a nightmare for opponents to defend. [Pensburgh]
Some roster moves from Saturday potentially pulled back the curtain on the Penguins trade deadline plans. Forward Colton Sceviour and defenseman Juuso Riikola were both placed on waivers, signaling a potential trade could be in the making. [Pensburgh]
Unsurprisingly, both Sceviour and Riikola cleared waivers and remain with the Penguins for the time being. Clearing waivers means they can easily be reassigned to the practice squad or the AHL to clear cap space if needed. [Trib Live]
There has been no bigger surprise on the Penguins roster this season than the emergence of rookie forward Radim Zohorna. Barely even on the prospect radar this offseason, Zohorna has impressed in many ways since being called up. [Trib Live]
At some point (fingers crossed) the Penguins will be fully healthy and Mike Sullivan will have decisions to make in regards to who plays and who sits each night. One odd man out could be offseason acquisition Mark Jankowski. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Mike Sullivan has clearly established himself as one of the best head coaches in the NHL but it’s possible he still may be underrated. He’ll never get deserved Jack Adams consideration, but his work with the Penguins this season has been superb. [The Hockey Writers]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Due to the Vancouver Canucks recent COVID shutdown, the NHL has extended the season until May 16th. That’s over a week after some other teams will be done with their schedule and leaves the Stanley Cup playoffs start date up in the air. [NHL]
Connor McDavid is a relatively quiet superstar but when he speaks people tend to listen. Recently, McDavid spoke out against the NHL’s decision to make the Edmonton Oilers play just hours after an emotional memorial for former teammate Colby Cave. [Bleacher Report]
