Pens Points: Detroit Game Day

Good morning one and all,

The Pens play their third preseason game in Detroit this evening. Here is the posted lineup for the Pens. Kind of a mix of starters and non-starters. [Chipped Ice]

Daniel Sprong has been a revelation of sorts this training camp, with a deceptive shot and skills he is not afraid to use. He says he's been watching Kessel a lot. [Trib]

As he is assigned back to Wilkes-Barre, Tom Kostopoulos may have had his last taste of the NHL Monday in Columbus. Nevertheless, he relishes the twilight of his career as players he's mentored are poised to take the next steps. [Trib]

How do you think the Crosby-Kessel pair will fare when the competition gets tougher? Mike Johnston isn't worried.[Trib]

And will Kunitz earn a permanent spot there? That line needs a space-creating guy and he might just be what they need. [PPG]

Beau Bennett is primed for a breakout season. I know, I know. No more knee braces, much stronger, go for it Beau. [Molinari]

The Pens music playlist was really bad (actually I heard Sid's song in the car the other day and shazamed it because it was OK); here come movie recommendations, do we want to see them? Okay, that settles it. Rob Scuderi can stay on the team, and Dumoulin, nice knowing you go away no roster spot for you. [Penguins]

The Sidney Crosby special "There's No Place Like Home" airs tonight at 10:30 pm on Root. Don't forget to set your DVRs. [Penguins]

Did you ever stumble upon something unexpected just by being bored on the internet? I just did. I still like that trade and the Pens are a better team for it, but did they really engage in a character assassination of James Neal? Or was it his knees, elbows and sticks that did it? [Echoes From The Path]

The Bruins will be without Dennis Seidenberg for 8 weeks as he undergoes a lumbar microdiscetomy procedure to repair a herniated disc in his lumbar spine. [Sportsnet]

It will be interesting to see how Babcock is going to handle the same-old Reimer vs. Bernier competition for the starting job. [Yahoo Sports Canada]

The NHL is going with 3-on-3 overtime this year, so which teams are best-suited for playing in this format? There are a few easy choices here. [Sportsnet]

Speaking about 3-on-3 OT, it's going to be hilarious watching forwards play defense at 3-on-3. A little bit of systems analysis and a really good article as always by Justin Bourne. [The Score]

It's still a little bit shocking to me to read the names of players who are in camps this preseason on tryouts, but maybe it shouldn't be. The results of modern cap economics and changing landscape are palpable. [Canadian Press]

One of the reasons Dean Lombardi cited for giving John Tortorella the Team USA coaching job was his willingness to admit and correct mistakes he's made. Okay then. Carry on rambling, Torts. [Sportsnet]

Some shocking new developments in the Patrick Kane case, including an evidence bag containing the rape kit performed on the complainant anonymously delivered to her mother's doorstep. [SI]

Noted sports legal analyst Eric Macramalla chimes in with his thoughts on what this could mean for the case. [TSN]

For the end, Elliotte Friedman's 30 thoughts, among them the challenges the NHLers face upon retirement. [Sportsnet]