Home. The Pittsburgh Penguins will play three of the next four games at home after returning home Sunday from their week-long California dreamin’. We were not only there for the highs of the trip, but the Sunday analysis piece was hard-hitting because we laid out the red flags for a Penguins team that has thus far exceeded expectations.

Elsewhere in the Daily, the Edmonton Oilers have a few players returning from injury, and the waivers watch is on as some attractive players could hit the wire to make room. Joel Quenneville made his return to Chicago to a mixed reaction, and the San Jose Sharks have a little political problem on their hands.

It feels good to be home. After assuming I was buying a house, I had been preparing to say goodbye to my apartment on the North Side, and even tossed some furniture (which I now regret), but after I found things I just didn’t want to go through with the new house, I’m staying put.

But I tossed my well-worn recliner before I left on the trip. That was my favorite spot after a long roadie, to just slink into that thing and watch some mindless TV for a minute and pontificate about the world around me to no one.

The recliner. I don’t know who invented them. I have no idea how prior societies and civilizations lived without them. Maybe we need to send recliners to Russia and the Middle East. You can’t possibly want to go to war when sprawled out in a recliner.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Red flags. We’ve spent a lot of time praising the rookies or breaking down what they need to improve, but the team is winning games despite some red flag performances. We dug into three behind-the-scenes issues and negative on-ice performances in our rough Penguins analysis.

Steelers Now: The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been shockingly bad. It was supposed to be the strength of the team, but instead it’s been an albatross. There was plenty of analysis following the incredibly poor defense at the end of their Thursday loss, but here’s one change the Steelers defense can make.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The prospects countdown continued. There is a pitcher with a chance to crack the MLB lineup who is from Aruba. He would be just the fourth MLB player from the small island, and Danny Demilio has the Pirates prospect breakdown.

Sportsnaut:

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

San Jose Hockey Now: I didn’t see or didn’t catch it. Saturday was the Sharks’ annual “Los Tiburones” game honoring Hispanic culture. Tiburones is Spanish for shark. The national anthem was sung by a Mariachi band. All was well until the intermission, when the team posted messages from fans on the scoreboard, and someone slipped in a pro-ICE comment. Now people are really angry at the San Jose Sharks.

Politics, eh?

Edmonton Journal: In David Staples’ latest Culture of Hockey blog, he got some help from Frank Seravalli as the Oilers are banged up but will soon be overstocked. There are some usable players who could hit the waiver wire.

TSN: The return was quite anti-climactic, and I suppose that was what Chicago wanted. No video tribute, no rousing ovation. Oh, by the way…Joel Quenneville made his return to Chicago.

Conversely, he was in the building last season when the Penguins visited St. Louis, and the fans brought the house down for him. HUGE, thundering ovation.

Sportsnet: Why Pinto? The Ottawa Senators came to the table with a hefty eight-year offer for Shane Pinto.

Boston Hockey Now: Some of the top players aren’t coming through, and new coach Marco Sturm had enough. One player was nailed to the bench as the Boston Bruins are sending a message.

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