Pens Points: Leaf Blowers

A relatively slow week for the Pittsburgh Penguins in terms of games still resulted in three points, including an absolute rout of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Now the Penguins are enjoying another multi-day break before returning to action tomorrow night with the Tampa Bay Lightning in town.

Monday is here, so is Pens Points...

In case you weren’t around Saturday evening to see it play out, a very short handed Penguins squad laid a whooping on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Drew O’Connor scored two goals while Marcus Pettersson recorded four points. [Pensburgh]

With the victory, the Penguins extended their points streak to five straight games to begin the season and sit third in the Metropolitan standings. They trail the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes and sit just ahead of the Washington Capitals. [Pensburgh]

Down on the farm, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have began their 2021-22 season and top prospect Filip Hallander is already making an impact. Hallander is playing his first pro season in North American and found the back of the net on Friday. [Pensburgh]

Early season injuries and virus protocols have open roster opportunities for several players. One of those players is Drew O’Connor who is using his size and speed to make the most of his chance and leaving a lasting impression on the ice. [Trib Live]

With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jeff Carter all out of action for various reasons, Evan Rodrigues stepped into the first line center role on Saturday night. He excelled against the Maple Leafs and once again proved his worth to the Penguins. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Perhaps no one deserves more credit for the Penguins early season success than head coach Mike Sullivan. While it’s up to the players to produce the results, those results are possible because Sullivan puts his players in position to succeed. [The Athletic $$]

After dominating in preseason action, the offense has dried up for Kasperi Kapanen now that the regular season is underway. Though he recorded a pair of assists on Saturday night, the winger is still in search of his first goal of the season. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Starting the season on an extended road trip simply helped build the excitement for the Seattle Kraken to host their first home game in franchise history. They may have lost on Saturday night, but it was still a victory for the NHL’s newest team. [NHL]