Pens Points: Weekend Doubleheader

Pens Points is here to get your weekend started as the Penguins prepare for a pair of preseason contests.

The clock keeps ticking down to the regular season for the Pittsburgh Penguins which now sits at under two weeks. This weekend provides another test for players looking to make the final cut on the opening night roster with a pair of preseason contests against the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators.

Pens Points...

A fresh round of training camp cuts on Thursday saw the Penguins send 14 players to the AHL and trim the roster down to 52 players still in camp ahead of the weekend doubleheader. [Pensburgh]

With Tanner Howe and Finn Harding being returned to their respective junior sides, that leaves just Harrison Brunicke as the lone teenager left in Penguins camp. [Pensburgh]

Training camp is over a week old now and superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson has yet to participate in a team practice. On top of that, Karlsson has not skated at all the last two days as his injury remains a mystery. [Pensburgh]

Late last season, as the Penguins were pushing for a playoff spot, Drew O’Connor found chemistry on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. The team and O’Connor are hoping for a repeat performance this season. [Trib Live]

Joe Brand will be the new radio play-by-play voice for the Penguins this season, replacing Steve Mears in the booth. Formerly a baseball guy, Brand is hoping to make the role his own in his first season. [Barrett Media]

Emil Bemstrom joined the Penguins in the second half of last season and is one of the bubble players in a training camp battle for a spot on the opening night roster. [Trib Live]

NHL News and Notes...

Reigning Rocket Richard winner and newly minted Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is battling an upper-body injury though the condition is not expected to be a long term issue. [ESPN]

After a nasty collision with the boards during a preseason game on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Kings will be without Drew Doughty for an extended period as he recovered from a fractured ankle. [Sportsnet]