The Penguins' lineup for Tuesday's 7 p.m. preseason game against the Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena will look a lot like an NHL lineup.
The Penguins only dressed a handful of NHL regulars for Sunday's split-squad games against the Blue Jackets, a 3-2 overtime win at home and a 5-1 loss on the road.
Here's how they'll line up for the third preseason game of the year on Tuesday:
GOALIES
1 – Casey DeSmith
35 – Tristan Jarry
DEFENSE
8 – Brian Dumoulin
24 – Ty Smith
26 – Jeff Petry
28 – Marcus Pettersson
44 – Jan Rutta
58 – Kris Letang
FORWARDS
10 – Drew O’Connor
16 – Jason Zucker
17 – Bryan Rust
18 – Drake Caggiula
23 – Brock McGinn
25 – Ryan Poehling
42 – Kasperi Kapanen
53 – Teddy Blueger
59 – Jake Guentzel
63 – Radim Zohorna
67 – Rickard Rakell
71 – Evgeni Malkin
87 – Sidney Crosby
The game will be streamed in the U.S. on PittsburghPenguins.com and available on the radio at 105.9.
The Penguins also made their first round of training camp cuts on Monday, reducing the roster to 56 players. They sent defenseman Isaac Belliveau (fifth round, 2021) back to the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL, and Ryan McCleary (seventh round, 2021) back to the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.
Belliveau made his preseason debut on Sunday in the game at home and skated on the left side of the third defense pairing, earning a plus-2 rating in the win. McCleary was the seventh defenseman who traveled to Columbus for the evening game but did not play.
Belliveau, because he turns 20 in November, is at the age where he was eligible to play in the AHL next season but retained the option of returning to junior. With a crowded blue line throughout the system next season, it seems as if it was decided that junior was the best place for Belliveau to get playing time and continue to develop.
Belliveau and McCleary were the only two healthy junior-eligible players on the Penguins' training camp roster. The other two junior-eligible players -- defensemen Owen Pickering (first round, 2022) and Nolan Collins (sixth round, 2022) -- will both go back to their respective junior teams eventually, but both players are dealing with upper-body injuries sustained prior to training camp. Collins told me he's dealing with a shoulder injury sustained in his OHL team's training camp. Pickering hasn't been made available for interviews but I've seen him around the Lemieux Complex wearing what appears to be a brace on his right wrist. Both Pickering and Collins are skating with teammates in non-contact jerseys.
