Pens Points: West Coast Living

There are going to be some late nights ahead for Pittsburgh Penguins fans this week as the Penguins head to the west coast for a slate of games against the three California teams. When they take the ice against the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow night, the Penguins will be looking to rejoin the win column after their 10-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday.

Nobody likes Mondays, but at least you have Pens Points...

A new year seems like a good time to make some predictions for what lies ahead. From Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang staying in Pittsburgh to what the Penguins do with Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues, there could be a lot happening in 2022. [Pensburgh]

For the first time since well before Christmas, the Penguins dropped a game and did so in a rather rare fashion for them. Leading 2-1 in the third period, the Penguins suffered a rare third period collapse against the Dallas Stars. [Pensburgh]

One of the most glaring issues for the Penguins on Saturday was their struggles in front of their own net. Turnover and just general lack of awareness allowed the Stars to get back in the game and ultimately pull out the victory. [Trib Live]

Two heroes from the Penguins comeback victory against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night were not in the lineup on Saturday. Bryan Rust and Brock McGinn both entered COVID protocols and will remain there until cleared. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

It’s still a long way off, but there is never a bad time to at least explore what could await the Penguins in the offseason. There are more than a handful of current players who will be needing a new contract and the Penguins will have decisions to make. [The Hockey Writers]

News and notes from around the NHL...

For the second time in his career, Marc-Andre Fleury returned to the home of a former team and was honored with a video message that brought him to tears. Fleury returned to Las Vegas on Saturday night as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. [ESPN]