POINT SHOTS

I asked a few of the Penguins newcomers for this season if their former teams ever pulled off elaborate pranks. It sounds as if the Marc-Andre Fleury experience is unique (see today’s centerpiece). But Matt Nieto did share a bold one. When he was with the Sharks, one veteran player filled his teammate’s car not with packing peanuts, but fresh popcorn.

When told about that one, Sidney Crosby grimaced and said, “That would be tough. A couple of [car] details and you cross your fingers and hope you get that out.”

Fleury is revered here for being a great teammate, and it’s not just because of his pranks. Don’t forget the grace he showed after Matt Murray emerged.

Mike Sullivan said this week that some of the most difficult decisions he’s made during his lengthy tenure as head coach involved sitting down Fleury in favor of a young Murray during the Cup runs. Those were hard conversations, Sullivan said, but how Fleury responded helped pave the way for a pair of parades.

The NHL actually got one right with its suspension for Brenden Dillon’s head shot on Noel Acciari. Dillon is the same man who fractured Teddy Blueger’s jaw a couple of years back. Who knows if he had malicious intent when he caught Acciari with his head down Tuesday? But that hit doesn’t belong in the game.

Acciari was expected to miss at least two games with a concussion, perhaps thrusting Jeff Carter into a more prominent role. On the wing, he hasn’t been the defensive liability that he was in 2022-23 and he buried another big goal Tuesday. Credit to Carter for bouncing back a bit — and also to Sullivan for utilizing him as best he can.

Quick AllStar thought: Count me among those who enjoyed the new skills competition that was about — gasp — hockey, not cringeworthy gimmicks. And I liked that it crowned an all-around champion, too. I hope we see Sid chasing the million bucks next year, even if he would rather be literally anywhere else.