Dan’s Daily: New Trade Board; a Rift with J.T. Miller; Penguins Get Muddy

NEWARK — The Pittsburgh Penguins were caught in the mud, as bouncing pucks, slow ice, and a deep existential struggle between the team they used to be and the team they are now was evident in a loss to the New Jersey Devils. We’ve got the full analysis from one of the greatest cities on earth, Newark. Of the 32 cities in the NHL, past and present, Newark is certainly one of them. Elsewhere in the Daily, there was a wild scene in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as refs tossed both head coaches assessed over 100 penalty minutes. There is a growing internal rift in Vancouver involving J.T. Miller that is dragging down the team. And, Chris Johnston put out his latest NHL trade board.

Regarding the wild scene in Wilkes-Barre last night, I’ve really searched high and low for more info on it. Both local newspapers and the usual AHL reporters didn’t have much as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins stomped their rivals, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7-2. There were seven roughing penalties spread over the second and third periods, eight misconduct penalties to players in the third period, and coach Clark MacDonald was tossed, as was LVP coach Ian Lapierre.

Lapierre was upset that MacDonald used his WBS’s top power play late in the game, and the coaches shouted from bench to bench as the players gathered. Inside the AHL’s Tony Androckitis has the coaches’ versions of what happened.

“Everybody else was ejected,” was MacDonald’s reply.

The long ride home begins this afternoon for Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Flights were expensive, so we booked a Mega-Bus, only to learn that Mega-Bus is no longer in business and another company is operating their routes. So, there will be no comfy table booth or fresh-smelling seats. I’m a little worried, but I saved $200. Hey, I don’t waste your money on things like … comfort.

Of course, getting out of Newark is its own reward.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: All righty. The Penguins weren’t going to win the next 47 games, but they started strong. Evgeni Malkin’s breakaway on the second shift was a good sign, but the hockey gods had other ideas, and the Penguins mustered just 12 shots on goal against the New Jersey Devils. Here’s the Penguins recap.

New Jersey Hockey Now: From the Devils locker room, they were itching for a piece of Michael Bunting. Stefan Noesen “saw red.” They REALLY wanted a go at him. Colleague James Nichols has the Devils locker room reaction.

The report card is more of an in-depth team analysis than a game analysis. I saw something that spoke to the deeper existential growth or hope of the team, but it will be a constant struggle between what was and what is. The internal battle, the on-ice tactical representation, and the player grades. Too deep? Here’s the short–if you want to know what’s really going on and get some inside dirt on the game, read the Penguins report card.

The Steelers again fumbled away a second-half comeback. We have TONS of Stillers coverage and analysis after the Steelers’ loss to Baltimore.

I had to do the postgame analysis from the hotel last night lest I miss the last train out of Penn Newark and get stuck with a $62 Uber fare (to ride three miles). I dug into my bad grade for coach Mike Sullivan and the Penguins’ internal struggle.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Hockey Night in Canada Video: The big story (among others) on the big broadcast. The Vancouver Canucks don’t want to chum the NHL trade rumors with either of their big-name forwards. Still, it might come to that as J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson aren’t exactly getting along, and it’s dragging down the organization, said Elliotte Friedman. Check out the bombshell Headlines Segment from the intermission last night.

John Klingberg’s attempted comeback might be something to watch for the Penguins. If he can get healthy, he would be a good fit. Also, when will hockey realize the destructive nature of many of the learned skating techniques? Players’ hips are giving out in their late 20s and early 30s. Someone might want to look into that.

The Province: A summary and analysis of all of the trade rumors swirling around the Vancouver Canucks and an interesting insider’s take on solving the Pettersson-Miller rift.

Detroit Hockey Now: We’re into the meat of the season now, and teams are what they are—some are improving and fine-tuning, while others are searching for answers. Things are going wrong, and bigger issues are mounting for the Detroit Red Wings.

Montreal Hockey Now: Patrik Laine is back, and you can’t stop him. Trade rumors, wins, and Laine. Oh my! The last few days have been a whirlwind for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Athletic ($): And lastly, the latest NHL trade board from Chris Johnston.