Pens Points: Wrapping Up Preseason

Let Pens Points prepare you for the last preseason game before the real fun begins.

Goals by Valtteri Puustinen, Jonathan Gruden, and Kevin Hayes gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a preseason contest on Thursday night. The Penguins will now wrap up their preseason slate tonight with another bout against the Blue Jackets. After that, it just five days until the regular season.

Pens Points...

Who exactly the Penguins are and who they want to be remains to be seen. Looking at the roster shows a team still lacking a clear identity with numerous weaknesses and just a few strengths as the season is set to begin. [Pensburgh]

After a few rough days of injury news for the Penguins, Thursday brought some good news with Erik Karlsson taking part in his first training camp practice, albeit in a non-contact role. [Trib Live]

At the end of last season, Drew O’Connor had broken through and found himself on the top line with Sidney Crosby. With the new season on the horizon, O’Connor is looking to build on that momentum and remain there. [The Athletic $$]

Ryan Graves is looking to rebound after a tough first year in Pittsburgh while Jack St. Ivany was a revelation at the end of last season. They’ve been paired together in camp and have been building chemistry on the ice. [The Hockey News]

There’s more forwards battling for a spot on the Penguins roster than there are spots available. That makes every practice and game mean just a bit more. For Jonathan Gruden, the task is clear: make the team. [Trib Live]

Reilly Smith spent one underwhelming season in Pittsburgh and will now don the red, white, and blue of the New York Rangers. Early returns on his time in the Big Apple are not looking good. [The Hockey News]

NHL News and Notes...

Amazon’s new behind the scenes NHL ‘Faceoff’ series drops on Friday and early reviews from those who have seen the six-part series came away pleased and are happy with what the show will deliver to fans. [Sportsnet]

Robin Lehner will be paid by the Vegas Golden Knights for the final year of his contract in 2024-25, but to do unique circumstances surrounding his absence from the team, his contract will not count against the salary cap. [ESPN]