Penguins @ Blue Jackets Preseason Opener: Players to Watch
PENGUINS AT BLUEJACKETS, 6:00 P.M. TV: ROOT SPORTS PROJECTED LINEUP Beau Bennett – Evgeni Malkin – James Neal Tanner Glass – Dustin Jeffrey – Chuck Kobasew Letourneau-Leblond – Joe Vitale – Bobby Farnham Tom Kuhnhackl – Andrew Ebbett – Adam Payerl DEFENSEMEN Rob Scuderi – Matt Niskanen Brian Dumoulin – Scott Harrington Philip Samuelsson – Brendan Mikkelson Derrick Pouliot GOALTENDERS Marc Andre Fleury Jeff Zatkoff PLAYERS TO WATCH (Focus on young, bubble players) Scott Harrington/Brian Dumoulin – The two have been paired together all camp and are expected to remain together this evening vs Columbus. It’s an important preseason for Dumoulin who is looking to prove he is NHL ready. Harrington has made a strong impression on team officials four
Game Day Buzz: More on the Joe Morrow callup & inexperience in the system on the blueline
The callup of 2011 first round pick Joe Morrow is more of situation arising (injuries) of the Penguins wanting to get one of their top prospects some NHL experience of just being around the team (potential practice time, being involved in meetings) on a short-term stay, even if Morrow doesn’t step on the ice for a game. The callup doesn’t mean by any means that the Penguins feel Morrow is NHL ready, as he isn’t in his own end. Overall, Morrow has not had a strong season in Wilkes Barre, his first professional season in the American Hockey League. Morrow’s been playing a third pairing role in Wilkes Barre and during the NHL lockout Morrow was regarded as being “exposed”