Pens Points: Good Impressions

Sunday was another big opportunity for prospective players to showcase their talents if they hope to make the Pittsburgh Penguins opening night roster. Kasperi Kapanen was already assured a spot but he continued his strong preseason with another big performance while offseason addition Danton Heinen continues his push for a roster spot. [Pensburgh]

Shake off the Monday blues with some Pens Points...

Jake Guentzel became the latest Penguins player to test positive for COVID-19, the team announced on Sunday. Guentzel joins teammate Zach Aston-Reese in testing positive and has entered the league’s protocol where he will be monitored. [Pensburgh]

There will be dozens of season previews written for the Penguins in the run up to next Tuesday, but none will be as analytical as the work done by Dom Luszczyszyn at The Athletic. His model has the Pens back in the playoffs once again. [The Athletic $$]

With training camp entering the home stretch, the Penguins continue to trim players from the roster with the regular season approaching. On Saturday, the Penguins made a laundry list of moves to cut the roster to 35 players. [Pensburgh]

There will be no Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in the Penguins lineup when the Penguins begin the season next week against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That leaves two pretty sizeable holes on the power play that will need to be filled. [Trib Live]

One off-season signing the Penguins front office was particularly excited about has been all good vibes during training camp and the preseason. Another big showing from Danton Heinen on Sunday shows all what he can bring to the team. [Trib Live]

John Marino and Mike Matheson have seen some significant time paired together this preseason and all signs point to that continuing once the season begins. Their success will play a crucial role in the overall success of the team. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

With Tristan Jarry struggling in the playoffs last season, the absence of a reliable backup option forced the Penguins hand. Now healthy, the Penguins are hoping Casey DeSmith can be that option to steady the ship if needed. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

One major area of concern for the Penguins are focusing on fixing for this season is the penalty kill. Mike Sullivan has made the penalty kill a point of emphasis in training camp with hopes some of the issues can be resolved. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Former Penguins forward Brandon Tanev made waves last season with one of the more unique headshots in the hockey. He continued that trend with the Seattle Kraken this year and now even junior players are getting in on the act. [Pensburgh]

News and notes from around the NHL...

If you were on Twitter over the weekend, you may have seen some interesting tweets from Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner. Lehner accused NHL teams of committing medical malpractice by giving players medications without a prescription. [Sportsnet]

In preparation for the upcoming Olympic hockey tournament, participating nations were asked to submit three players who will be on their respective teams. For Team Canada, those players are Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Pietrangelo. [NHL]