Pittsburgh Penguins

Rob Scuderi is beaten to a loose puck by the Red Wings' Andreas Athanasiou Thursday. -- GETTY

Rob Scuderi is beaten to a loose puck by the Red Wings' Andreas Athanasiou Thursday. -- GETTY

Scuderi certain he’ll play: ‘I’m not worried’

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by • Coverage •

JOSH
DETROIT — Rob Scuderi insists he is still a top-six NHL defenseman.

And he believes the Penguins will see it that way, also.

Scuderi made some strong comments following the 6-1 preseason loss to the Red Wings Thursday at Joe Louis Arena, underscored by this sentiment: He fully expects to be on the ice Oct. 8 in Dallas.

“I would certainly hope so,” Scuderi told me. “Yes, there’s a lot of young talent on this blue line, no question. And that’s great. That’s all part of it. But I’ve never heard of a team out there that’s decided to go with six offensive defensemen.”

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Friday Insider: The salvation that is Sprong

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by • Friday Insider •

DEJAN
Daniel Sprong won’t break camp with the Penguins.

That’s not hot news as much as it is common sense. Terrific as the franchise’s top pick in this past NHL Draft has been, from development camp to the rookie tournament in Ontario to the ongoing preseason, he’s still 18 years old and still has tons to learn about playing a responsible, focused two-way game. And that can’t — and won’t — happen in Pittsburgh.

Turner's
Still, no one should underestimate how much Sprong’s showing this summer has meant.

“He’s been a godsend, really,” Jim Rutherford was telling me earlier this week in Cranberry. “More than anything, we look at Daniel as being very important to us because of our situation. Because with the low number of draft picks we’ve had, not having a first-rounder this year, we couldn’t miss. We just couldn’t. And when you watch him out here, you see his confidence, the hands … we didn’t miss.”

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Podcast: Josh on ESPN Pittsburgh with Todd

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by • Podcasts •

JOSH
DETROIT — Here’s the podcast of my weekly appearance on ESPN Pittsburgh with David Todd. We talked hockey front to finish, including the Patrick Kane controversy.

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The 1896 Stanley Cup champion Winnipeg Victorias had little use for Media Day. -- MANITOBA HALL OF FAME

The 1896 Stanley Cup champion Winnipeg Victorias had little use for Media Day. -- MANITOBA HALL OF FAME

Five Qs at 5: One-and-done, defense, dog sleds

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by • Five Qs at 5 • , ,

DEJAN
Welcome to Five Qs at 5, and no, we’re not doing 75 this time …

Atrias

Trainframe: DK, I wonder if we can be counter-intuitive here and hope that the Bucs get the wild card game. Why, would you ask? Two reasons: First, the Cards’ last championship in 2011, and the Giants last year both came out of the wild card spot. Second, even the slightest break will cause the Bucs to lose momentum. They started the season horrendously after spring training, and then after that brilliant series against the Cards before the break, they looked like dogs again that first week back. Your professional opinion?

DK: Ha! Well, that opinion, since you ask, would be that you’re reaching. Badly.

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Final: Red Wings 6, Penguins 1

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by • Game previews •

JOSH
DETROIT — Looking ahead to faceoff  …

Game: Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings, preseason, 7:38 p.m., Joe Louis Arena

TV, radio: Root Sports, 105.9 The X

Online: GameCenter | Multimedia | Media notes

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Sidney Crosby skates off the ice after a practice at the new Cranberry facility this week. -- DALI KOVACEVIC

Sidney Crosby skates off the ice after a practice at the new Cranberry facility this week. -- DALI KOVACEVIC

Matt’s Stats: All signs point to Crosby rebound

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by • Features • ,

MATT
This summer, for a variety of reasons, it became fashionable to look for the NHL’s new king.

Maybe it was the imminent arrival of can’t-miss youngsters Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel to franchises that could use the help. It’s a familiar, yet irresistible storyline.

Perhaps it was the free-for-all scoring race last spring. No fewer than five players had a shot at the Art Ross Trophy entering the final week, and the Stars’ Jamie Benn snagged the prize from the Islanders’ John Tavares with a stirring four-point finale.

Matts Stats

Or it might have been that Sidney Crosby posted his lowest-ever point total (84) in a season of more than 53 games, even if his 1.09 points-per-game average still led the league.

All these explanations aside, I’m here to tell you that — as he enters his second decade in Pittsburgh — the 28-year-old Crosby is still pro hockey’s monarch, at least among forwards.

And that he’ll prove it this year with another scoring title.

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Podcast: DK on 105.9 the X with Madden

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by • Podcasts • , ,

DEJAN
Here’s the podcast of my weekly visit to the 105.9 the X studio with Mark Madden. It was a a good time. And it will be televised, too. For those who don’t know, his show is now shown in video form on the new 22 The Point weeknights at 10 p.m.

Oh, and I’ll be doing the entire three-hour show in place of Mark on Friday.

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Five Qs at 5: Gonchar, line combos, Sprong

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by • Five Qs at 5 •

JOSH
Hockey season is in full swing. Isn’t it great? Here’s the weekly Q&A, where I’ll be handling only hockey questions for the foreseeable future. And away we go …Atrias

mal_68au: All sentiment aside, how likely is it that Sergei Gonchar makes the team and what role would he fill?

JY: Last week, GMJR (that’s what the cool kids call Jim Rutherford) announced that the Penguins will start the season with eight defensemen. They did the same thing last season, and it was strange then. It’s not so strange now.

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Kessel, Crosby spring each other in duo debut

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by • Coverage •

JOSH
It was only the preseason, and those were mostly the JV members of the Hurricanes, but Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby put on a great show in the Penguins’ 7-3 win Tuesday night at Consol Energy Center: Kessel scored twice, while Crosby produced a goal and two assists.

Numbers, however, only tell a portion of the story. The chemistry the duo displayed — left winger Chris Kunitz played an important role, also — was noteworthy, particularly in how they sprung each other several times in the neutral zone for breaks.

Here’s everything Kessel had to say afterward, including this about fitting in:

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Morning Java: Bubbly, Bryant, Bobby

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by • Videos • , , ,

DEJAN JOSH
We take the tour of local sports storylines in this edition of Java, discussing the Pirates and celebrations, Martavis Bryant getting treatment and Bobby Farnham making the Penguins. We’re brought to you, as always, by our friends at GoToMeeting.com

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Final: Penguins 7, Hurricanes 3

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by • Game previews •

JOSH
Looking ahead to faceoff …

Game: Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes, preseason, 7:08 p.m., Consol Energy Center

TV, radio: CW Pittsburgh, 105.9 The X

Online: GameCenter | Multimedia | Media notes

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Olli Maatta and Kris Letang, the last to leave practice Monday, work on gap control. -- DALI KOVACEVIC

Olli Maatta and Kris Letang, the last to leave practice Monday, work on gap control. -- DALI KOVACEVIC

Column: A pairing like no other

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by • Columns •

DEJAN
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It’s completely uncool in the hockey culture to leave the rink right after the coaches blow the whistle on a practice, so the timing of how and when certain players exit can be plenty telling.

It was Monday morning inside the still-glistening glass of one of the Lemieux Sports Complex rinks, and Mike Johnston had just put the Penguins’ primary group through their paces for nearly 90 minutes. Most looked spent. The rest looked exhausted. But sure enough, no one came close to following Johnston and staff when they exited for the locker room. They kept skating and shooting at half-speed, then skating and shooting some more at lesser speeds, then pretty much just played around.

Finally, about five minutes later, a couple of vets broke the barrier.

Soon, it was a couple of minor-league vets. Hey, they’re old, too.

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