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Penguins (Preseason) Game 4: Penguins Roster, Notes & Who to Watch vs. Sabres

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Pittsburgh Penguins game, vs. Buffalo Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins made their first round of roster cuts on Friday. None were unexpected, but the intrasquad scrimmage on Friday furthered the emerging story of the 2022-23 Penguins. Coaches sent only a few NHL regulars to Buffalo, which means a more young players will have one last opportunity to shine before heading to Wilkes-Barre Scranton. And for some other players like Radim Zohorna, it’s a chance to show the organization they are ready for the NHL sweater.

The puck drops just after 1 p.m. at Key Bank Arena.

Zohorna leads the Penguins forwards, along with Kasperi Kapanen and Ryan Poehling.

Teams typically dress their NHL players for home games, so expect Buffalo to have an NHL-player-laden roster.

What to Watch:

P.O Joseph and Mark Friedman are fighting for their NHL lives. The Penguins have nine NHL defensemen. At most, eight can stay. One will be exposed to waivers, or someone will be traded. If you watch the game, pay a bit of attention to first-year-pro Jack St. Ivany. He won’t wow you with offensive brilliance, but watch how smooth he can be. Also, he has a unique skating ability; he can seemingly change direction and accelerate without picking up his feet. He neatly eludes forecheckers and has shown an ability to blend into the game well against good competition.

We’ll also be watching Ty Smith. He’s been excellent in Cranberry but hasn’t been a standout in the preseason games. It appears the sixth-defenseman spot is his to lose.

With the forwards, it will be a tough slog to create offense. There aren’t many natural centers. Sam Poulin figured to be one, but he was granted a short personal leave. Wingers Filip Hallander and Drake Caggiula have shown well in practice. Caggiula, 28, has been strong since Day 1, and perhaps he can fight his way into the NHL practice group.

Pittsburgh Penguins Roster (Game 4):

DEFENSE

2 – Chad Ruhwedel
24 – Ty Smith
37 – Jack St. Ivany
52 – Mark Friedman
61 – Xavier Ouellet
62 – Colin Swoyer
73 – P.O Joseph

FORWARDS
10 – Drew O’Connor
18 – Drake Caggiula
19 – Alex Nylander
25 – Ryan Poehling
27 – Corey Andonovski
34 – Nathan Legare
36 – Filip Hallander
42 – Kasperi Kapanen
57 – Jamie Devane
63 – Radim Zohorna
75 – Kyle Olson
76 – Valtteri Puustinen
80 – Raivis Ansons

Goalies

35 Tristan Jarry
40 Dustin Tokarski

Possible Penguins Lines

Zohorna, Poehling, and Nylander are the natural centers. Drew O’Connor can play there, too.

Nylander and Hallander played together in the Friday scrimmage. Zohorna played with Kapanen, too.

Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes

*The Penguins are 8-2-1 against Buffalo in their last 11 and have outscored the Sabres 38-21.

*The Penguins lost 6-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins did not play well with their NHL-heavy lineup and went 0-for-9 on the power play. #Preseason

*The Penguins sent nine players to the WBS Penguins camp. Here are the Penguins cuts.

*On Friday, 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering practiced for the first time. He suffered a preseason injury, missed all of development camp, and worked off the ice until later this week.

*Tristan Jarry played nearly half the game on Tuesday night against Detroit. He allowed four goals on 14 shots, including two power-play goals, as the Penguins’ penalty killing was a bit unpolished.

*Jeff Carter, who suffered an upper-body injury during a team scrimmage last Saturday, resumed skating on Thursday but has not rejoined the team yet. Teddy Blueger also remains out with an upper-body injury. Both are listed as day-to-day.

How to Watch:

TV: AT&T Sportsnet. You can see the entire broadcast team with Steve Mears, Bob Errey, and Evgeni Malkin’s favorite Potash, Dan.

Radio: 105.9 the X.

The team did not list its website for viewing this time, but you might be able to catch it on the ESPN+ streaming service since it is being televised.