Monday’s “First Call” has some updates on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching situation. New England has tied a noteworthy Steelers’ historical mark. And we lay out the Penguins western road trip which gets underway this evening in Seattle.

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Return trip: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is coming to Pittsburgh this week for an in-person interview to fill the Steelers’ vacant head coaching position.

That’s according to a Saturday report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers in 2022. He was previously the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21. After going 5-11 his first year there, Flores’ Dolphins were 10-6 and 9-8 the next two years before he was dismissed.

This year the Vikings were third in total defense at 282.6 yards allowed. They were second against the pass at 158.5. And they gave up 19.6 points per game, seventh best in the NFL.

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Waiting game: If the Steelers want more information on Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, or Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, they are going to have to wait a week.

That’s because L.A. beat Chicago in overtime Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship game.

By rule, NFL teams can’t interview assistant coaches in person for promotions in other cities until their season is over. Or, in the case of clubs advancing to the Super Bowl, at least until the bye week between Championship Game weekend and the Super Bowl.

As explained at “The Atheltic”: “During the bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, franchises can schedule virtual or in-person interviews with coaches competing in the Super Bowl. Teams conducting these interviews must notify the candidates’ employer teams. Once Super Bowl week begins, interested teams must wait until the day after the Super Bowl to resume any contact with these candidates.”

The Steelers were reportedly to do virtual interviews with Scheelhaase and Shula late last week.

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Tying the mark: When New England plays Denver on Sunday, that’ll mark the 16th AFC Championship game for the Patriots franchise. They will tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most appearances in the game.

The Patriots are 11-4 in their first 15 AFC Championship game outings. The Steelers are 8-8.

Three times the Patriots and Steelers have played each other in the conference title game, with New England claiming all three victories in the 2001-02, ‘04-’05 and ‘16-’17 seasons. The first two contests were in Pittsburgh, the third was in Foxborough.

On the NFC side, San Francisco has 19 appearances. Dallas is next with 14.

According to DraftKings, New England is a 5 ½-point favorite over the Broncos in Denver this weekend. The Seattle Seahawks are 2.5-point favorites over the Rams.

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Holiday start time: The Pittsburgh Penguins face off at 5 p.m. Monday in Seattle. That’s a 2 p.m. start time out West for a Martin Luther King Day puck drop.

The Pens begin their week-long, four game road trip following a 4-3 shootout loss to Columbus on Saturday.

The Pens have now lost four of their last five games, but they remain in a playoff spot as the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division with 55 points.

The Kraken are in a similar position. They are in third place of the Pacific Division with 51 points.

Seattle is scuffling as well, having lost five of the last six outings. In every one of those five defeats the Kraken have scored three goals or fewer. Prior to this dry spell, Seattle had been on a tear, winning eight of nine from Dec. 20 to Jan. 6.

Penguins legend Ron Francis is the president of hockey operations for Seattle. Ex-Pens assistant Jason Botterill is the general manager.

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After this game, the Penguins visit Calgary Wednesday, Edmonton on Thursday, and Vancouver on Sunday. Their next home game is Thursday Jan. 29 versus the Chicago Blackhawks.