It’s time for our weekly hockey podcast with TribLive Penguins beat writer Seth Rorabaugh.
Lots to kick around here.
John Marino and Brian Dumoulin got back on the ice for practice Tuesday. We get an update on the potential for their returns. Also, Seth seems to think we shouldn’t give up hope on seeing Jake Guentzel before the playoffs are over. He tells us why.
Tuesday was the first look at practice since the Penguins acquired Patrick Marleau, Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary prior to Monday’s trade deadline. We’ll examine how the lines look with all those new forward additions.
Here’s the rundown from left-to-right, with the acknowledgement that Zach Aston-Reese is still hurt. Also, Jared McCann took the day off and assistant coach Mark Recchi filled in on the fourth line.
• Jason Zucker-Sidney Crosby-Conor Sheary
• Bryan Rust-Evgeni Malkin-Patric Hornqvist
• Patrick Marleau-Evan Rodrigues-Dominik Simon
• Mark Recchi-Teddy Blueger-Brandon Tanev
I’ll get Seth’s opinion on that alignment, with the prospect that Rodrigues may go where Recchi was and McCann becomes the third-line center.
The Penguins are out west for a few games. They are in Los Angeles Wednesday, Anaheim on Friday, and San Jose on Saturday. The Kings, Ducks and Sharks are the three worst teams in the West. How many points can the Penguins soak up?
Seth weighs in on that Pacific Division swing, too.
Plus, conversations about the goalies, how the rest of the Metro Division stacks up following a slew of trades, and Seth’s trip to get a glance at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Listen: Tim Benz and Seth Rorabaugh dive into the line combinations for the Penguins
