Pens Points: Two Weeks Left
Penguins continue preseason preparation as regular season countdown hits two weeks.
In just two weeks time, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be hours away from dropping the puck on their 2022-23 season against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena. Until then, training camp rolls along at UPMC Lemieux as the team continues preparation for the upcoming season.
Start your Thursday with Pens Points...
It may only be preseason, but one of the glaring issues for the Penguins remains the power play. Scoreless on nine opportunities against the Detroit Red Wings, the man advantage unit looked all out sorts on Tuesday. [Pensburgh]
Secondary scoring will play a key role for the Penguins this season as it does every season. Fans expect big seasons from the big name players list Crosby and Malkin, but what can we expect from some of the under the radar guys the Penguins will be counting on? [Pensburgh]
Preseason games don’t count for anything that matters but your actions in game are still under the microscope. Defenseman Jeff Petry found that out the hard way after he was fined $5,000 for a roughing incident against the Red Wings. [NHL]
Tuesday night’s contest featured most of what is expected to be the Penguins opening night lineup and gave fans a glimpse at some potential line combinations, including a first look at expected defensive pairing Jeff Petry and Marcus Pettersson. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
This may come as a shock, but the Penguins are dealing with a bite from the injury bug. This time it’s Teddy Blueger being added to the injury list with an upper-body injury, joining Jeff Carter and Kasperi Kapanen on the sidelines. [Pensburgh]
Goaltenders Taylor Gauthier and Tommy Nappier were both assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday where they will join the AHL training camp. The move helps trim the Penguins camp roster to 54 players. [Penguins]
News and notes from around the NHL...
There is expected to be another salary cap bump next offseason, albeit another small one. Bill Daly informed teams to expect a $1 million increase next year with the following years being determined once again by league revenues. [The Athletic $$]
Whether fans like it or not, sports betting has fully established itself in society and features prominently on broadcasts. That won’t change this season, so might as well take a look at what the oddsmakers are saying about the upcoming NHL season. [Sportsnet]