Penguins would have preferred to put NHL's pause on hold

Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust bump fists Tuesday during the Penguins' final pre-holiday break practice.CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins, of course, would have preferred to stick to their original schedule.

To have spent Tuesday preparing for a rematch with the Devils at PPG Paints Arena that evening, then to have a practice the following day before the Flyers came to town Thursday night.

But COVID-19 has scuttled all of those plans. The games against New Jersey and Philadelphia have been postponed, and the holiday break that was supposed to run from Friday through Sunday will span Wednesday to Saturday, instead.

With dozens of players, coaches and staff members from teams across North America…