Penguins 2013 Scouting Report

Its been over eight months.  And finally, we are down to three days.  Three days until this sports town, left without a sport, gets its hockey team back.  The whole city's force going behind one team at full blast is a site to behold.  And they are not letting up.

On Wednesday night, the Penguins staged a scrimmage game, with the purpose of getting the players prepared for all types of game situations.  Then, they thought they might as well let some fans come and watch.  Every single one of the 18,387 seats were filled, with over two-thousand people left outside.  This town is desperate for hockey.  Now lets look at what to expect for this season, which, by the way, starts at 3 PM on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Forward

Dan Bylsma hasn't left us wondering too much about this one.  The first line will definitely feature Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, centered by captain Sidney Crosby.  The second line is a little less clear.  It will definitely contain winger James Neal and reigning MVP center Evgeni Malkin.  The right wing is still up in the air, but will probably be filled by Tyler Kennedy, Eric Tangradi, or rookie Beau Bennett.  The third line will be centered by offseason addition Brandon Sutter, flanked by Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy (if he isn't on the second line).  The fourth line will be Craig Adams, new addition Tanner Glass, and Joe Vitale.

Defense

The first defensive pairing will certainly feature star Kris Letang, probably alongside Matt Niskanen.  Should be an excellent shutdown pair, given Letang's track record, and the promise Niskanen showed in the playoffs last year.  The next pair will be the wrecking ball Brooks Orpik, with Paul Martin.  Paul Martin had a horrid year last year defensively, many fans hoping for him to be traded.  Instead he is being paired with Orpik in the hopes that the shakeup will improve his game.  The third pairing will be Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland, both solid, tough, defensemen.


Goal

Marc Andre Fleury is the team's number one.  He will get at least 28 of the 48 games this year, probably more if he goes on a tear.  New addition Tomas Vokoun adds stability in the backup position, which will do two things.  It will allow Fleury to get adequate rest, which he didn't last year (backed by Brent Johnson).  It will also add pressure on Fleury to be better, as Vokoun has the potential to be a number one.

Three days.  The city is ready.  Hockey is back.