Pens Points: That’s All, Folks
The Penguins’ season has come to a bittersweet end.
Here are your Pens Points for this Thursday morning...
The Pittsburgh Penguins closed the door on the regular season with game No. 82 on Wednesday night against the New York Islanders. Having nothing to play for and being eliminated from playoff contention the night prior, it was one last glimpse at the frustratingly inadequate 2023-24 Penguins. [Recap]
Penguins forward Jeff Carter officially rode off into the sunset after Wednesday’s contest, confirming that it was the final game of his 19-year career. [Trib Live]
Bryan Rust is the Penguins’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the yearly award given to the player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” [Penguins]
News and notes from around the NHL...
Longtime Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan had his number retired by the club in 2019. The banner was raised to the rafters at the then-named Gila River Arena. When the team was forced to move to Mullett Arena, they forgot to bring the banner. On Wednesday, Doan was reunited with the forgotten fabric. [Sportsnet]
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov became the fifth player in NHL history to have a 100-assist season during the Lightning’s 6-4 win on Wednesday night. Kucherov remains the NHL’s scoring leader with 144 points and now becomes the second player this season to achieve the historic feat, behind only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who earned his 100th assist this season against the San Jose Sharks on Monday night. [ESPN]
The NHL has unveiled the dates, times and channels for the impending first-round Eastern Conference matchups of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. [NHL]