Pens Points: Blown Lead Blues

Everything was coming up roses for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday evening for about 57 minutes of their game against the Minnesota Wild before disaster struck. A hat trick from Kasperi Kapanen had the Penguins in control but two late goals from the Wild sent the game to overtime where the Wild eventually prevailed in a shootout. [Pensburgh]

New week, new Pens Points. Hope you enjoy...

Spoiling a hat trick is never something a team wants to do but that was the reality for the Penguins against the Wild. Even so, scoring your first hat trick in the NHL is a big deal and Kapanen should still celebrate the accomplishment. [Pensburgh]

For Kapanen, this breakout felt like a long time coming for the winger. After going goalless in nine game to start the season, he finally found the back of the net. Perhaps his promising preseason can still come to fruition in the regular season. [Trib Live]

There’s a myriad of reasons why things went south late in the game on Saturday, a key one being face-offs. Teddy Blueger struggled at the dot against the Wild and exposed how badly the Penguins miss the services of Sidney Crosby. [The Athletic $$]

The new season is now ten games old and considering what the Penguins have been dealing with through that opening stretch, it feels more like a storm weathered rather than a bleak outlook even if the standings aren’t favorable at the moment. [Pensburgh]

Ten games is roughly 1/8th of the season and serves as a good bench mark to evaluate some players performances. It wasn’t the best start for a guy like Kapanen but players like Evan Rodrigues and Marcus Pettersson have exceeded expectations. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

On Saturday, the Penguins announced a new front office hire. Two-time Olympic medalist and US Hockey Hall of Famer Krissy Wendell-Pohl has been hired as an amateur scout and will focus on prospects primarily in the Minnesota region. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

More firing news from the Chicago Blackhawks, albeit this time for actual on-ice reasons. Jeremy Colliton was fired as head coach on Sunday, replaced by Derek King who was coaching the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate in Rockford. [NHL]

After a rocky few weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs have found a groove and find themselves back in the win column. If they hope to continue their strong play in the coming week, they will have to do so without starting goaltender Petr Mrazek. [Sportsnet]