CALGARY — The Pittsburgh Penguins did not appear as the petulant or frustrated team despite a heavy dose of an opponent that was defense-first, second, and third on Monday. The Penguins ground to a win and felt pretty good about themselves. We also put a few things into perspective from the shootout losses to coach Dan Muse.

Elsewhere in the Daily, add another (former) big name to the NHL trade chatter. The San Jose Sharks jumped the line and snagged Kiefer Sherwood. Teams are calling Vancouver about Elias Pettersson. And, oh by the way, the Penguins were briefly in second place, but are beginning to put some space between themselves and the second tier of the Metro Division.

We made it to Calgary at 2 a.m. local time! Boy, was it close. I’m talking being delayed out of Seattle when they didn’t have a pilot and told me it would be hours, only to be told to board 30 minutes later as I was booking another flight for today, landing in Vancouver and being directed to the wrong security gate twice, running … running across Vancouver airport with 40-plus pounds of luggage, sweating, and getting to my gate three minutes too late — only to find that Air Canada had an unannouced 15-minute delay on the Calgary flight.

WHEW.

Also, to the guy on the people mover in Vancouver who saw me in a panic and a rush, who stepped aside and said, “Go ahead, Dan,” uh, thanks! That was certainly not a moment in which I wanted to be recognized, and it still shocks me that anyone knows who I am, but that one made me chuckle … much later. Thanks, my dude. Hopefully, I didn’t backpack check you or stink of sweat yet. If you’re in Calgary, the beer is on me.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the fresh grounds recap of the victory over the Seattle Kraken. The goals, the back-and-forth, and the Penguins win.

OK, I grabbed the chalkboard and really went to town on the game–Seattle’s insistent defensive posture, how the Penguins coped, and ultimately, Dan Muse praised what he liked about his team’s tactical adjustments. All that, a bag of All Dressed chips with the team and player grades in the Penguins report card.

And let’s put a few things in perspective and zoom out for a moment. We actually had readers overtly insult Sidney Crosby, which happened mere hours after a Penguins employee praised you–PHN readers–for bringing quality and sanity in the comments. And more on the job Dan Muse is doing in the Penguins blog.

Yeah, people notice you, and the next level takes you’ve delivered, too!

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

San Jose Hockey Now: It seems like a week ago now, but earlier Monday, the next big name to fall off the NHL trade boards was Kieffer Sherwood. Sheng Peng delivered some really good analysis and spoke to pro scouts on the move, as Sherwood landed with the San Jose Sharks.

Also–Goalie Fight! Sheng was at the center of the NHL action Monday. He did break the trade locally (he thinks a Vancouver reporter beat him by less than a minute, so he wouldn’t take full credit), and then former Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic dropped the mitts against Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The Sharks brought their big boy pants and stepped in the ring all game long against the saltiest team in the NHL. It was a wild night punctuated by the goalie fight. You can see the fight here, and Sheng took us inside the Sharks’ locker room after it all.

Florida Hockey Now: Here’s the other side of it. “What did I do?” The Florida Panthers reacted, too.

Sportsnet Video: Teams are a callin’ Vancouver about Elias Pettersson despite a lot of money owed and a long time left on his contract. After the Quinn Hughes blockbuster, this could be the shocking trade of the season.

Montreal Gazette: Toss another big name on the trade fire. Patrik Laine has been out with a core muscle injury (remember when we used to call that a sports hernia), but he’s getting closer to rejoining a Montreal Canadiens team that has no room for him. Cue the trade chatter in Montreal.

Vegas Hockey Now: The VGK didn’t give the Penguins any help by rolling over against the Flyers, but Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon explained his thinking and expectations after the Rasmus Andersson trade.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Oh geez–more bad news in New Jersey. It’s a grueling diagnosis if reports are correct. A separated shoulder for defenseman Luke Hughes.

Sadly, I don’t think Tom Fitzgerald survives this. The pressure cooker is steaming in Newark.

TSN: And for my Italian readers, I know what the home country means, but you may want to avoid Italy’s Olympic hockey games. They announced the Olympic roster, and there are no NHL players.

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