The Penguins will open their preseason schedule Monday night with a lineup that mixes established names, young prospects and a few players trying to force their way into the conversation.
Pittsburgh is set to face the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM ET. Fans can watch on SportsNet Pittsburgh or listen on the Penguins’ official flagship radio station, 105.9 ‘The X’.
Up front, the group includes Andrei Kuzmenko, Filip Hallander, David Gustafsson, Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust, Connor Dewar, Hendrix Lapierre, Elmer Soderblom, Tristan Broz, Tanner Howe, Carter Sanderson, Ben Kindel and Avery Hayes.
The defense corps listed for the game features Ryan Graves, Tomas Galvas, Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila, Harrison Brunicke, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kris Letang.
In goal, Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist are both dressing for the opener.
One forward and one defenseman will be scratched, and based on early practice pairings, Tomas Galvas could be the odd man out. The other players listed have already been working with their partners from practice, while Galvas may be the one the team wants to see in a game setting, with the possibility of changing those pairings for Monday’s matchup.
There’s also plenty of attention on the forward group. The camp line of Kuzmenko, Kindel and Rust has been skating together and could end up as a middle-line option when the regular season begins. Around them, a cluster of players fighting for jobs - Hallander, Brazeau, Dewar, Lapierre, Soderblom, Broz and Hayes among them - will be looking to make a strong first impression in a crowded battle near the bottom of the lineup.
The crease situation is just as competitive. Murashov and Blomqvist are both in the mix for one NHL roster spot, and while preseason goalies are usually expected to split the workload, the team has not yet said which one will start or whether the other will get into the game.
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For a franchise balancing an older core with the need to map out what comes next, that slower pace is hardly surprising. The Penguins have made clear they are not forcing the issue at the moment, which leaves both extensions in a holding pattern while the broader goalie and roster chatter around the league continues to swirl. [Read more 🡒]