This week’s hockey podcast with Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer is the usual 15-20 minutes in length. See if you can listen to the whole thing without getting word that another Pittsburgh Penguin has gone down with an injury.

Recent history suggests you won’t be able to make it halfway before that happens.

That’s the main focus of our conversation. The crushing weight of the Penguins’ injured list and how it seems to be catching up with the rest of the roster.

The latest issue is if the defense can withstand the loss of Brian Dumoulin with Justin Schultz already injured.

Augmenting those concerns are practice injuries to Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist. Plus, the goaltending has slipped of late. And since Kris Letang has returned from injury, some of the decision-making issues that plagued him late last season seem to have returned.

Metz and I discuss all those topics, the upcoming return of Phil Kessel, and a potentially packed wild-card race in the Eastern Conference.

All that after the real news of the day, which was the release of the “Sonic Temple” lineup.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer discuss the latest injuries for the Penguins and how the team can respond

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