Pittsburgh is back in action tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets and here are the lineups
Tomorrow the #Pens take on #CBJ in the annual Free Game for Kids. Here are the lineups for each team. pic.twitter.com/gWklOmT0a8
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 25, 2015
Phil the Thrill is back in the lineup and will look to continue the success that he had in game one with Sidney Crosby.
Derrick Pouliot is in the lineup for the second consecutive game and I would give him big time minutes as he continues to try and show he is top four worthy.
Daniel Sprong is also in the lineup. He has been very fun to watch and it is nice to see him find success before he will eventually be sent down. If he continues to play well I would have no problem with him winning the fourth line right wing spot for that nine game tryout period before being sent back to juniors. If that were to happen my lines would be the following:
Kunitz-Crosby-Kessel Perron-Malkin-Hornqvist Dupuis-Bonino-Bennett Plotnikov-Cullen-Sprong
Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad will be in the lineup. This will be his first appearance in Pittsburgh as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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A few days ago Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi made some interesting comments (at least I found them interesting). He told Josh Yohe of DK on PIttsburgh Sports that he wasn't worried about his standing with the team and that he fully expects a roster spot opening night.
Here are the quotes:
Rob Scuderi believes he will land in the Penguins' top six. Read more: http://t.co/ueh6FQRkqy
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) September 25, 2015
“I would certainly hope so,… Scuderi told me. “Yes, there’s a lot of young talent on this blue line, no question. And that’s great. That’s all part of it. But I’ve never heard of a team out there that’s decided to go with six offensive defensemen.…“I know what I can bring to a hockey team,… Scuderi passionately stated. “I know, offensively, I don’t have the talent these other guys do. But, you know what? I can support the play just like anybody else. I can shoot the puck and create some opportunities for our forwards.…
Personally I have no problem with a player publicly defending himself against criticism. I don't blame him for thinking what he does. However, that does not make him right and he's not.
His perception that having six defensemen with puck skills is a problem explains so much. He may believe he can support the play just like those other six "offensive defensemen" but that just isn't true. Going high and hard off the glass is not a "safe play". It is a lazy play. It is a turnover. It is passing the buck onto other teammates to go work hard and get the puck back because his limited foot speed and puck skills did not lend itself to a controlled breakout. It makes for boring ping pong hockey and this is supposed to be an entertainment product after all.
Here is the objective proof that he does not generate even close to what his fellow defensemen are capable of
*data courtesy of Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com*
He is significantly worse.
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Great Phil Kessel video set to the song "Shake It Off".
Brand new Hockey Hurts podcast is entirely about the Penguins. What are the pros and cons with this team heading into the season. You can find that here
Thanks for reading!