The biggest development out of Pittsburgh’s 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres Thursday night is we’re going to see an extended look with the third line of Drew O’Connor – Lars Eller – Matt Nieto over the next little while in camp. Things are heading in the direction where it’s likely to be Pittsburgh opening night third line. Drew O’Connor was not a true bubble player entering camp but there was still some pressure to prove yourself for OC. O’Connor flashing excellent forecheck instincts, wall play, and some individual offense has seen him lock down a top-9 spot for now as he’s been among Pittsburgh’s best players in camp. That trend continued vs the Sabres……..

“I think OC’s played really well. I thought their line had a strong game,” Mike Sullivan said of the third line’s performance vs the Sabres. “They created a lot of momentum for us…….

The new addition to the line this week was Matt Nieto on the right side. The organization felt Nieto was a sneaky bottom-6 signing in free agency that brings speed, versatility and a high hockey IQ element the bottom-6 has been missing with the previous roster construction.

“Matt Nieto brings some speed. OC can really skate,” Sullivan said of the two wingers A mystery in Pittsburgh’s bottom-6 is how much offense does Lars Eller have left in the tank. While a general feeling around the league is that Eller is shot offensively, Eller was among the Penguins first calls during the free agency period and Pittsburgh felt Peter Laviolette’s system [hide] in Washington hamstrung Eller and that he was still built to be an effective two-way player in an attack off the rush system Pittsburgh deploys.”

“You can see Lars Eller is a really smart two-way center man,” Sullivan said with effusive praise of Eller after Thursday’s win. “He’s just a cerebral player and he’s good on both sides of the puck. I thought he made a lot of subtle plays to create opportunities for his linemates. We’re looking forward to watching them moving forward.”

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— Mike Sullivan loves to load up the top-6 and in a perfect world Pittsburgh will want to go with:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust

Rakell-Malkin-Smith

But a lot will depend on if what has projected to be an offensively challenged bottom-6 can hold their weight. The Penguins internally are optimistic the bottom-6 will be much more effective than many expect.

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MORE BUZZ

–The Kyle Dubas/Mike Sullivan regime showed what they think of Jonathan Gruden and Ty Smith. And what they think of those two is little to nothing. It’s a contrast from the Ron Hextall/Brian Burke regime near the end of last season who believed Gruden was ready for a regular NHL role in 2023/2024 and there were differing opinions on how they and Mike Sullivan felt about Ty Smith with the old regime frustrated that Smith wasn’t embraced by the coaching staff. All 31 teams passed on Smith this week, an expected development from the Penguins end due to Smith’s minors’ salary being $775,000.

— Could Jake Guentzel beat his timeline by two weeks and not only dress for the home opener but also have a new contract To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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