Pens Points: St. Louis wins 11 straight

The Penguins get a clutch first-career goal from Rutger McGroarty to force OT, but come up short in the end.

Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning...

The Pittsburgh Penguins visited the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Rutger McGroarty recorded his first two NHL points, including a late goal to force overtime, but the Blues got the last laugh to win their 11th straight game. [Recap]

Defender Ryan Shea is now healthy after breaking a finger on his left hand, which sidelined him for almost three weeks. Shea’s pre-injury performance also earned him a one-year contract extension. He said his “confidence was at an all-time high,” and now, Shea hopes to finish the regular season on a similar level he was at before his ailment. [Trib Live]

Joel Blomqvist, Filip Larsson, and Sergei Murashov represent a strong goalie prospect pool, which should bode well for the Penguins as the team furthers its rebuild. [Trib Live]

Speaking of prospects, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were in Cranberry this week ahead of a weekend series in Cleveland. The team has its sights set on a first-round bye. [Penguins]

News and notes from around the NHL...

What does the new Rogers-NHL broadcast deal mean for Canadian fans? [CBC]

It appears Commissioner Gary Bettman and Wayne Gretzky will be in attendance for all Washington Capitals games down the stretch as Alex Ovechkin moves within three shy of breaking Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record of 894. [NHL]

New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair will take time away from the team following head coach Patrick Roy’s rather direct criticisms toward Duclair in a media scrum after the Islanders’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. [ESPN]