Day 3 Buzz
Photo: David Hague — Inside Pittsburgh Sports
*Skating on a line with Dustin Jeffrey and Brett Sterling for the third straight day, Tyler Kennedy has responded well to the coaching staff’s message that players on one-way contracts can easily lose their spot on the roster.
Kennedy has opened up camp as the odd-man out and for his part is playing with an edge and some fire. He battled extremely hard in Monday’s practice session and team scrimmage.
The Penguins have not given up on Kennedy and management has been hopeful that the extra competition will elevate Kennedy’s game but he’s in for an extremely tough battle.

With the Penguins third and fourth lines coming into focus with Matt Cooke – Mark Letestu – Arron Asham solidifying as a unit and Max Talbot – Craig Adams and Michael Rupp playing extremely well early on, Kennedy is likely going to have to win a job on the Penguins second line and either hold off Eric Tangradi or hope the Penguins still feel Tangradi needs some more seasoning in the minors.
Kennedy saw time with Evgeni Malkin and Mike Comrie today during the second half of today’s scrimmage portion, playing left wing. He was in on a few prime scoring chances but couldn’t capitalize.
Indications are Kennedy will get an opportunity with Malkin during game situations at some point this pre-season. First up though will be Tangradi as the Penguins want to give the youngster an early look with Malkin and Comrie.
Notes
*Brett Sterling scored two goals today, leading Group C to a 2-1 win over Group A.
*With the first ever game at Consol Energy Center set to take place on Wednesday, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both expected to play.
*Lines 1-4 have remained the same through the first three days of camp along with the top-3 D pairs.
*2007 3rd round pick Casey Pierro-Zabotel will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks after suffering a broken finger on Sunday.