Pittsburgh Penguins: The Morning After News And Notes

Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the ice and scored their second win in a row in the Mike Sullivan era. The 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild was the most complete game the team has played in some time.

This Pittsburgh Penguins season has been dark and full of terrors.

Last night was one of those rare good days that Penguins fans have been looking forward to. With the team performing in all facets and Sidney Crosby looking refreshed, there wasn’t a whole lot to complain about in Pittsburgh…

…other than Jarret Stoll‘s hit on Kris Letang. Let’s hope he has a good talk with the NHL Department of Player Safety.

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Though as many pointed out on Twitter last night, the fact that Letang came back out for the rest of the game effectively halved or negated any punishment Stoll would likely receive.

Let’s see what everyone had to say about last night:

About Last Night

Penguins chalk up second win in a row [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Dave Molinari]

They didn’t come out of the NHL’s holiday break and play a flawless game during their 3-1 victory over Minnesota tonight at Xcel Energy Center, but they did play an energetic, inspired one.

Postgame thoughts – Penguins 3, Wild 1 [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Seth Rorabaugh]

If the Penguins looked like they had been off four days Christmas break, the Wild’s players looked like they were expecting to be off until Orthodox Christmas.

Penguins vs. Wild recap; Crosby comes to life, Pens win [Pensburgh – Hooks Orpik]

Per the incomparable Bob Grove, that was Hornqvist’s first PPG in 51 games. That’s almost unimaginable considering how much time he’s gotten on the top unit, standing right in front of the net, but a testament to the troubles that group has had lately.

PENS WIN 2ND STRAIGHT; NEW IDENTITY FORMING [Pittsburgh Post Game – Dan Kingerski]

The Penguins finally looked like the team the fans and organization have hoped for, all season. The Penguins were efficient, controlled coming out of their own zone. They were effective and dominant in the offensive zone. According to War-on-ice.com, the Penguins had 30 scoring chances and 15 high danger chances. Conversely, they suffocated the Wild. It was a complete, and workman like effort.

Around the League

P.K. Subban turns children’s hospital into winter wonderland (Video) [Puck Daddy – Greg Wyshynski]

Spoiler: That part near the end, with the family that lost their house in a fire? Did it *sniff* get a little dusty in here all of a sudden? The Winter Wonderland – complete with presents and facepaint and games – took place in the P.K. Subban atrium, so named after Subban made a seven-year, $10 million commitment to the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

The top 5 candidates for the top 5 NHL trophies (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Calder and … one more) [Yahoo! Sports – Sam McCaig]

We should really be doing the Selke Trophy here, but goal-scorers are more fun than those responsible two-way types so let’s look at the snipers. Staying on the fun theme, how about if the Stars’ sparklers finished 1-2 in the NHL in goals? If any team’s tandem can do it, it’s Benn and Seguin. Kane, of course, might have something to say about that. Tarasenko and Ovechkin haven’t exploded but the potential remains for 50-plus.

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Five things learned from Day 1 of World Juniors [NHL.com – Mike G. Morreale]

The victory by the United States was the first against Canada in the preliminary round since a 5-2 win Dec. 31, 1998. The U.S. last beat Canada 5-1 on Jan. 3, 2013 in the semifinals of the medal round.

2016 WJC Preview: Team USA seeks first medal in three years [Hockey’s Future – DJ Powers]

The centerpiece of this year’s USA squad will undoubtedly be Matthews, the Arizona native expected to be selected first overall in this year’s NHL Draft. Matthews elected to play in Switzerland for the 2015-16 season, an unconventional path for a top prospect to take which has taken him off the radar somewhat.

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