Tuesday Practice Report: Talbot at least 6 weeks away from returning

Tuesday’s Practice Report Winger Max Talbot (shoulder) continues his rehabilitation and is skating for about 30 minutes before his teammates will take the ice. Talbot is working with strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. All signs indicate Talbot’s rehab is on schedule but he is at least 6 weeks away (likely more) from returning. Talbot can barely shoot the puck with any velocity and he has a ways to go. Sidney Crosby (groin) will practice this morning. more to come

Pre-season Game 2: What to watch for

Toronto @ Pittsburgh 1. Luca Caputi – Dan Bylsma deserves a lot of praise for the way he has used top prospects Luca Caputi and Eric Tangradi. Tangradi skated with Sidney Crosby in the Penguins pre-season opener and tonight Caputi will skate on a line with Evgeni Malkin. It’s a little move that will only help Caputi’s development. Playing Caputi on the 3rd or 4th line does nothing for him. Caputi’s game is driving to the net and that is where he is going to score a lot of his goals. Caputi is also excellent on the fore-check. What he needs to show tonight is the ability to make a play for himself and how he reacts when pressured by

Day 2 Training Camp: Kennedy opens camp with Malkin & Fedotenko

Day 2 Report The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins went through their first on-ice session this morning at Mellon Arena. The players were split into three groups and each group went through a 60 minute session. *With Max Talbot sidelined for the first 6 weeks of the season, there’s an opening on Evgeni Malkin’s line. It appears Tyler Kennedy will get the first shot at playing with Malkin. Kennedy skated with Ruslan Fedotenko and Evgeni Malkin during the Penguins first session this morning. Kennedy, 23, had a career high 15 goals in 67 games played last season. Entering his third season, Kennedy has become much more patient in the offensive zone and people in know, feel he has the ability

Fallout from the rookie tournament: Caputi, Tangradi and Pierro-Zabotel need time in the AHL

Full-Time Callup for Caputi will lead to trade or demotion for a veteran or two Forwards Luca Caputi, Eric Tangradi and Casey Pierro-Zabotel are three of the Penguins top forward prospects in their system. Tangradi and Pierro-Zabotel already have their tickets booked to Wilkes Barre and indications are Caputi will also join them. Caputi needs more time in Wilkes Barre, is the vibe coming out of the Penguins rookie tournament. What the Penguins want to see from Caputi is have a dominate training camp and spend the first couple months in Wilkes Barre. Similar to what Tyler Kennedy did in 2007. His timetable to the NHL is in his hands but it won’t be in October. One prospect who will

Staal’s line expected to play more of a scoring role

With training camp set to open in three days, one important aspect that has been overlooked is the importance of head coach Dan Bylsma having an entire training camp to implement his system. The Penguins moved to a more up-tempo system under Bylsma when he took over as head coach on February 15, 2009 but Bylsma never had the a full three weeks to implement his system . Last year everything was on the run. Three puck moving defensemen an asset to have Rob Scuderi was a key loss for the Penguins and according to some so was Hal Gill. The Penguins will replace Scuderi and Gill with veteran Jay McKee and puck moving defenseman Alex Goligoski. If healthy, McKee

Caputi will be pushed by incoming talent

Pittsburgh wants to see Caputi dominate With Max Talbot likely sidelined until mid-November, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding winger Luca Caputi pushing for a roster spot out of camp Caputi, who is one of the Penguins top 4 prospects, had 18 goals in 66 games played for Wilkes Barre/Scranton last season, the Penguins American Hockey League affiliate. Solid numbers for a player going through his first professional season but not exactly dominating numbers. The growing consensus in the organization is that Caputi needs to start in the season in Wilkes Barre. The Talbot injury won’t rush Caputi’s timetable to the National Hockey League, sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports. What Pittsburgh wants to see from Caputi is for

As good as they are, young Penguins still have much to learn

By Paul Ladewski The Stanley Cups Finals aren’t Boys versus Men exactly. After all, every Penguins player except Jordan Staal can down an Iron City legally. But if the 5-0 embarrassment in Game 5 in Detroit confirmed anything , then it’s that they still have lessons to learn before they can move up to champagne. The Red Wings were a tired bunch in Game 4 – even their head coach Mike Babcock said so — and with only one day off between games, the Penguins were in position to take advantage of their fresher legs and healthier bodies. Maybe the visitors felt a bit too good about themselves after consecutive victories at home. Or maybe they believed that momentum would

Canes face must-win situation as Penguins look to take 3-0 series lead

Pittsburgh leads series, 2-0 The Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins are going through their early preparations as both teams prepare for game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals Saturday night. The Penguins accomplished what they wanted to in game 2, setting the tempo and playing aggressive in the offensive zone. Pittsburgh managed 42 shots on goal and dictated the play by countering the Hurricanes aggressive forecheck with a quick moving transition game. Canes look to shutdown Crosby, Malkin A major concern for the Hurricanes is finding a way to slow down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Hurricanes do not have the personnel to shutdown Crosby, Malkin and look for them to make some adjustments on defense such as trying

Secondary scoring prevails Penguins to third straight win

The Latest Penguins Buzz Despite advancing to the second round of the playoffs, secondary scoring was a major issue for the Penguins in their first round matchup against Philadelphia. After being down two games to one to the Washington Capitals, It was still a problem going into game 4, as Ruslan Fedotenko was the only top 6 winger to score an even strength goal through the first 9 games of the playoffs. In games 4 and 5, Pittsburgh has received significant production from secondary players such as Jordan Staal, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke and Max Talbot who all found the back of the net during times of the past two games.  Secondary scoring has finally showed up for the Penguins and