The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to play last night for the first time since December 19th. They scored six first period goals on their way to an 8-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues both had hat tricks in the game. The last time the Penguins had two hat tricks in a game was December of 2008. The victory was the Pens eighth in a row. The Pens host St. Louis Wednesday.
The annual NHL Winter Classic was played Saturday in Minnesota, and became the coldest outdoor game in league history. The temperature at the opening face-off was nearly six degrees below zero.