On paper, the matchup was bad and has been bad. In real life, it may have been worse as the Pittsburgh Penguins were stuck in disarray and dismay as the Edmonton Oilers skated circles around them and relied on their former goalie for a game that looked closer on the scoreboard than it actually was. We’ve got full coverage and analysis from the Penguins’ sixth-straight loss, though in hockey-speak, the Penguins are winless in six.

Elsewhere in the Daily, the NHL trade rumors will begin to swirl around the next big trade target. The Ottawa Senators, whom the Penguins play on Thursday, are shopping for a middle-six winger. And Sportsnet tried to evaluate the failed tenure of Kevyn Adams in Buffalo.

The long drive to Ottawa awaits this AM. I think we’ll just schedule the Live Chat for this evening, and hopefully all goes well on the road, and I can settle into my little Super 8 Motel in Brockville, Ont. Now, that might not sound like great accommodations, but they’re just fine, it costs $55 USD, and Brockville is a hidden little gem. The hotel is right on the St. Lawrence River, and I request a back room so I can watch the sun rise over the water. It’s the small pleasures, eh?

Brockville is a quaint little town, very similar to Wellsboro or Jim Thorpe, with a nice little microbrewery, a handful of restaurants, a true English tea house, some local shopping, and even a pool hall. It’s a nice stop if you visit the Thousand Lakes area in the summer.

Just be careful on the drive. There’s a small NY town a few miles before the border that takes advantage of some large natural rock formations–there’s often a gaggle of cops hiding behind the rocks. Their job is just pulling over tourists by the dozen because the speed limit unnecessarily drops from 65 to 45mph; there’s no other reason than fundraising. The boys in blue watch Waze and delete themselves when we out-of-towners try to make a report. I see it almost every time I drive through. The speeding ticket I got in the 2017 Eastern Conference Final was not pretty, even though the rollers nabbed me for only 65… We’re talking $250 because the sleepy little speedbump tacks on Magestrate’s fees, too. But Brockville, ONT., is a nice getaway for a few days.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins were buried by the Edmonton Oilers’ star power and their power play. It’s getting ugly, and there was no way to sugarcoat the recap of the Penguins loss.

Now then–let’s really dig into the Penguins report card. I was worried I didn’t have enough info on the game to really provide a good tactical analysis, but it came together, and Erik Karlsson unleashed a few beauties in the locker room, too. As I try to do every night, if you want to understand that game and what it means in the bigger picture, and check out Karlsson’s comments, which were vaguely critical of gameplan or execution (or both), here’s the Penguins’ grades.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The Penguins are in a bad way, but their GM has a plan and is moving in that direction. The poor Buffalonians watched their team start low, stay low, and finish low. Revisiting the trades of Adams’s tenure with the Sabers isn’t pretty.

Ottawa Sun: The Senators are on the trade market. They’ve got the cart with a squeaky wheel, and they’re rolling down the aisles looking for top-nine help as their troubles mount. And they’re on a budget.

I can’t help but wonder about Rickard Rakell.

TSN Insiders: Interest in Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson has picked up since the Quinn Hughes trade. And it seems departed Sabres GM Kevyn Adams matter-of-factly revealed Alex Tuch’s contract ask to stay in Buffalo.

Not sure how I feel about Adams revealing how much money Tuch wanted.

Philly Hockey Now: Since Philly declined when Vancouver wanted Matvei Michkov or Porter Martone in a Hughes deal, Will James looks at five new potential Flyers trade targets.

New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols straight-up asked New Jersey Devils d-man Dougie Hamilton about the trade rumors and that he may have declined to waive his no-trade clause. Hamilton was a little caught off guard by the question and had to pause for an answer. Here’s the Devils trade talk.

I love that our Hockey Now crew is experienced and prominent enough that we can talk to players in an adult manner about the serious questions. James has grown from a blogger to a full-fledged reporter leading that market.

NHLtraderumors.me: There’s even more chatter that the Dallas Stars will not stand pat as they watch the Edmonton Oilers get stronger. Will Dallas GM Jim Nill go after Andersson, or does he have other targets in mind?

Florida Hockey Now: Uh oh. The East should take note as the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers are rolling again.

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