Penguins Wrap: Another Up-and-Down Week

LOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Penguins earned four points in their first two games after the NHL all-star break, and looked like they might be ready to begin climbing in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Then Saturday night happened.

Their 6-0 loss to the Kings dropped them back into fifth place in the Metro, and snuffed the idea that they might be in the early stages of an extended run.

Here’s a day-by-day look back at the past week:

Sunday

Ron Hextall says that making the team the best it can be in his short-term priority, but there’s at least one move that he doesn’t plan to consider.

Hextall doesn’t say whether he believes any of Mike Sullivan’s players have been tuning out his message, but leaves no doubt about how he’ll react if he determines that one has.

Tristan Jarry doesn’t participate in the Penguins’ first practice after the NHL all-star break, but does have an on-ice workout before it.

There’s no question that Jarry is the Penguins’ No. 1 goalie, but there are some about whether he can stay healthy enough to be relied on.

Monday

Members of the Penguins’ third line react to Hextall’s assessment that the unit often hasn’t had the chemistry management and the coaches expected going into the season.

Josh Archibald suggested that he’s about to resume bringing the “juice” to the Penguins’ lineup.

Tuesday

The Penguins were badly outplayed by Colorado for most of the first two periods … and still managed to win in overtime, earning one of their most improbable victories of the season.

Although the outcome couldn’t have been any better for the Penguins, some of the performances that went into it certainly could have. (+)

Casey DeSmith made the victory over the Avs possible by making 41 saves, and said that nothing about Colorado’s high-octane offense surprised him.

Wednesday

Avalanche players and coaches were outraged that Penguins center Jeff Carter was not penalized for driving his shoulder into the head of Colorado defenseman Cale Makar during the third period Tuesday.

There’s no question Tristan Jarry is the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltender, but with unrestricted free agency looming for him, how long will he be filling that role for him?

Will the Penguins’ unlikely victory over Colorado be the springboard for a surge in the Eastern Conference playoff race? (+)

Thursday

Rickard Rakell had a chance to be an unrestricted free agent last summer, but re-signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins two days before he could have gone on the market. Does he have any misgivings about staying with the team that acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline?

Tristan Jarry, who has missed the past four games because of an unspecified injury, goes through a full-team workout for the first time since he was hurt, a significant step in his recovery.

Friday

The Penguins make a surprise move, scratching Kris Letang from their game in Anaheim because of illness.

P.O Joseph’s first two-goal game in the NHL headlines a strong showing by the Penguins’ defense corps in a 6-3 rout of the Ducks.

Evgeni Malkin posts two assists at Honda Center, allowing him to join Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby as the only players in franchise history to put up 1,200 points.

With Metropolitan Division rivals trading for the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko and Bo Horvat, what should the Penguins do to keep pace as the March 3 trade deadline approaches?

Saturday

The Pittsburgh Penguins, for whom inconsistency has been an issue all season, followed up their dominating performance against the Ducks with one against Los Angeles that, uh, wasn’t. Not by them, anyway.

P.O Joseph says his fellow defensemen responded well to the challenge of playing without Letang in Anaheim.