STOCKHOLM — Our Scandinavian week continues through the weekend, but the Pittsburgh Penguins made themselves at home Friday at Avicii Arena, losing a late lead and then losing in overtime to the Nashville Predators. We’ve got the inside stories, including the stone-cold silence in the Penguins’ room. Elsewhere in the Daily, Jack Hughes was somehow injured at a team dinner, more Calgary Flames might hit the NHL trade block, Zach Hyman returned in Edmonton, so they shuttled a top youngster to the AHL, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins erupted with a five-goal comeback.

So many pictures and little stories, so little time. I adore Stockholm. I may never get back, but I wish I were 10 years younger because I would move here and not think twice.

First, the greeting here is Hey, or Hey Hey, not hello. I like Hey Hey, because, why not?

A few of you picked up on the same visual in Avicii Arena that a colleague and I have been joking about for a couple of days. At one end of the arena, it looks too much like the scene in Rocky IV when the US and Soviet flags are raised with the score of the Soviet anthem.

Since the game was in the afternoon, maybe you didn’t see a couple of fun parts of the pregame. The anthem was pretty spectacular–the crowd softly sang, but then BURST into raucous singing midway through. I don’t think the video picked up the extreme volume elevation. And Erik Karlsson is pretty popular here, but they didn’t go over the top (second Stallone reference).

Very Swedish.

And, I dined in the “King’s Restaurant” near the palace. A little, quiet place. A table to myself with a candle. Absolute heaven. I had Reindeer in Black Currant. Absolutely incredible. The owner kept checking with me–making sure I liked it, but I loved it. With a small tip, the total was $54. I broke my per diem, but for that meal, it was very, very worth it. Then I wandered down an alley and found a 14th-century prison with a heavy iron door that is now a wonderful little cafe with the original stone floor. I’ll post more of those pictures in the travel blog.

OK, OK, Kingerski, to the hockey.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: When the Penguins lose, readership falls off a cliff. For everyone. Cmon–that’s when I’m at my best! Covering winning is easy. Making a loss interesting, that’s a challenge. So, here’s the losing Penguins recap.

The report card. A Saab reference and plenty of breakdowns of the breakdown. I avoided the media crowd and talked with players one-on-one because there was an eerie quiet when we walked into the room. Stone.Cold.Silence. The hows, whys, and important whats in the Penguins report card.

Gary Bettman and execs held a pregame presser. I don’t know why. They didn’t want to break any news and didn’t really want to discuss anything. So, uh, thanks? We asked Gary Bettman for his opinion on the Penguins’ Fenway ownership potentially flipping the team for a quick profit. He mostly dodged that question, but if you’ve kept up with the chilly relationship between FSG and Bettman, his word choice was a bit interesting.

PHN+: Our Friday column for subscribers–the audio in a noisy locker room was brutal, so I didn’t include the audio files this week, but I really dug into a topic with a few players, some on and some off the record, about why this Penguins team is so different.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

TSN: Pierre LeBrun tosses another Calgary Flames forward onto the NHL trade fire. Is Blake Coleman available? Well, not really, but the TSN Insiders dug into that and the new Shane Pinto contract.

New Jersey Hockey Now: OK, how in the hell?! Jack Hughes has battled injuries throughout his career, but he couldn’t complete a team dinner this week. He suffered a “fluke” injury at the New Jersey Devils team dinner.

OK, my life is a combination of a Mr. Bean episode and a Marx Brothers movie, but even I’ve never been injured at dinner … I think.

I mean, how do you not love Jim Rutherford? And for the same reasons, the Florida Panthers.

Florida Hockey Now: There were several milestones for Florida, but a big puddle of water led to the locker room. “Way to make it all about you,” chirped Evan Rodrigues. The boys had some fun when Brad Marchand scored his 1000th point.

Sportsnet: A sit-down with Jim Rutherford. Vancouver Canucks are fighting against the stream, but no, they will not rebuild. That and trade costs for a center, Rutherford is blunt, as usual.

Oilers Nation: Zach Hyman is back, so the Oilers had to make some roster moves. They waived defenseman Troy Stecher and sent acquired young forward Isaac Howard to the AHL.

Just remember, Kris Knoblauch hates young players! I kid, I kid.

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