Dan’s Daily: Dirty Hits & Angry Words in Vegas; Penguins Begin Separation

The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t trim the roster on Wednesday, but the organization essentially created a minor league group and the NHL group for the two practices at UPMC Lemieux Complex. Despite a few players getting a chance to crack the lineup in Group 1, fans still weren’t happy. The NHL trade rumor mill is spinning in Ottawa, where Mathieu Joseph is on the block, and the Philadelphia Flyers are interested but want Ottawa to include a ransom to take Joseph. Also in the Daily, former No. 1 pick Jarov Slafkovsky is under fire but had a big game Wednesday, and the Flames signed Mikael Backlund to put a C on his chest.

I haven’t figured out how to make a column out of this yet. Alex Nylander and Radim Zohorna made the cut and are in the NHL group. Sam Poulin didn’t. And yet it seemed like fans were mad; “Mike Sullivan hates young players!”

In the prophetic words of Mick Jagger, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might get what you need. It came down to Poulin vs. Zohorna, and have you seen what Zohorna has done in the preseason games? He’s been tied to nearly every even-strength goal. Also, Alex Nylander is getting his shot to play with the big boys in the top six.

I thought you’d be happy. Poulin’s day will come soon enough.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The little news item of the day — the Penguins sent Brayden Yager back to juniors.

He’s good in the defensive zone, but we’ll see if he adds those offensive layers that make him a successful NHLer in the near future.

In the Penguins notebook, the camp separation “is what it is,” but now it’s showtime for Alex Nylander.

Analysis: Ty Smith, Colin White, and a few more — With actions, not words, Sullivan confirmed a good bit of our analysis. The camp disappointments and the remaining battles for the Penguins roster.

Steelers Now:

Nope. Kenny Pickett also shot down the viral Matt Canada promotion story.

**Here’s the one you want to read — Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis discussed the cheating allegations of the 2004 Patriots, and a few Patriots shot back — the Steelers news.

Get the Week 4 Steelers injury update.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now:

Oh, cmon! The Buccos blew a five-run lead and lost to the Phillies. Connor Joe had a day. Get the quickie Pirates recap.

Ke’Bryan Hayes has become a big-time bargain and a clear indicator for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Get this: the Pirates signed the 16-year-old nephew of Sammy Sosa.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

Vegas Hockey Now: It was fight night in Sin City. One unpenalized bad hit and all hell broke loose between the Vegas Golden Knights and LA Kings. Mark Stone gave a gem of a postgame interview.

Sportsnet: In the latest 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman dished on P.O Joseph’s brother, Mathieu. The Senators want to move his salary, and the Flyers are interested. The NHL trade rumors are hot, but Philly wants Ottawa to compensate them for taking Joseph. And lots of other stuff in the 32 Thoughts.

Montreal Hockey Now: Things also got wild in Montreal. The Canadiens and Senators also expressed their dislike for each other, but Jarov Slafkkovsky responded to increasing criticism with a big game for the Montreal Canadiens.

Criticism in Montreal? The hell you say!

Sportsnet Calgary: Mikael Backlund signed and was named the new captain of the Calgary Flames.

NHN is still looking for a new Flames beat writer. We hired one on Monday, but he also works for the Flames. And on Tuesday, the Flames didn’t like the idea of sharing. So, we search on…

Philly Hockey Now: Ryan Poehling scores, but the Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers.

NYI Hockey Now: A few good performances are creating hot competition for a roster spot with the New York Islanders.

We have so many things going at NHN that I honestly forget we added New Jersey and Carolina to the Metro mix this year!

Carolina Hockey Now: Seize your opportunities. Grab them with both hands. Ryan Suzuki is doing that with the Carolina Hurricanes.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The training camp mailbag. Who is the Devils’ goalie? The New Jersey Devils mailbag.