The Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from down 1-0 and 2-1, but in fairness, those deficits were not the result of being outworked or a superior team but their own rotten mistakes. In the end, a legal-ish goal and Brady Tkachuk dealt the Penguins an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. We’ve got full coverage and some surprising locker-room comments by Tristan Jarry (who was 100% correct). Elsewhere, the latest NHL trade chatter is centering on Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad and a couple of other players that teams would like to move before the Christmas roster freeze. The freefall is reaching maximum velocity in Buffalo, where the Sabres are out of answers and are stacking losses like chicken bones in a wing-eating contest. And the NHL is going to select quarter-century teams.
The Penguins’ quarter-century team will be announced on Jan. 9, but the real debate will be when the NHL lets fans vote on the 21st-century team—will Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid be the No. 1 center?
I don’t think fans take leadership or all of the things Crosby does that McDavid doesn’t–there’s no contest when comparing 200-foot games–into account. But we’ll see. Give me 87 on my team every time.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: One of the Penguins’ gritty prospects and their former top prospect were named to the WJC Team Canada roster.
It was not a high-event game or nearly as much fun to watch as the previous tilt, but the Penguins did show resiliency and earn a point. Brady Tkachuk whipped a shot past Jarry in overtime, and the Penguins had to settle for three of four points on the two-game trip. Here’s the Penguins game recap.
The Senators’ go-ahead goal in the third period was essentially a kick-in, though the odds the NHL would have overturned it were slim. We asked coach Mike Sullivan and Tristan Jarry whether they considered challenging it. Jarry didn’t hold back on his thoughts in the Penguins locker room.
The postgame update on defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
PHN+: I rolled through the locker room on Friday after the Penguins practiced on the outskirts of Montreal. I didn’t butter them up with chatter about the previous night’s win or commiserate with how bloody darned cold the rink was. It was one simple question: After winning six of eight (now 6-2-1), are you happy with where the team is? The boys gave some interesting replies, and it was a good check of the Penguins’ mindset.
Steelers Now: It’s Sunday. The betting lines, TV info, and Steelers injury updates.
NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now
Hockey Night in Canada: Save the good stuff for Saturday night. It’s not working in Vancouver, and they have a defenseman to move along. The St. Louis Blues pulled a big trade Saturday when they acquired Cam Fowler from Anaheim, but now they’d like to move out Brandon Saad. And all of the pre-Christmas NHL trade chatter from Elliotte Friedman.
Also, there’s a ton of New York Rangers trade chatter, but I feel like we’ve already touched on that topic, and so, too, did Friedman on Saturday. Yep, the Rangers have put EVERYONE on the table. And some can’t leave the Brady Tkachuk thing alone.
Buffalo Hockey Now: Scathing. Pointed. Brutal. That’s what we like. Our Jason Moser, whose tenure at Buffalo Hockey Now is coming to a close, let ‘er rip after Washington dealt a ninth straight loss to the increasingly frustrated Buffalo Sabres.
Also, Jim Rutherford was a guest during the intermission on HNIC Late Night. JR never disappoints, and he essentially warned Canucks fans that Brock Boeser might not be long for Vancouver, and the two sides have different opinions on Boeser’s next contract.
Boston Hockey Now: The New York Islanders finally had enough and waived a couple of underperforming forwards, and the Boston Bruins took a chance on the Islanders’ former first-round pick.
San Jose Hockey Now: On the ice, the players were none too happy with the guys wearing orange armbands. It got heated, but the scoreboard matters, and the Utah HC beat the San Jose Sharks. Sheng Peng takes us into the postgame Sharks locker room.
Chicago Hockey Now: It’s taken a few minutes, but Tyler Bertuzzi is finally living up to the expectations of his free-agent contract and delivering for the Chicago Blackhawks.
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