Gameday 1: Penguins vs. Sabres

Penguins (0-0-0) vs. Sabres (0-0-0)

PPG Paints Arena | Pittsburgh, PA

7:00PM Eastern | AT&TSN-PT, MSG-B

It’s [been] a cruel, cruel summer.

Leaving us here with Johnson.

It’s a cruel, cruel summer.

Now Phil’s gone.

We’re not going to lie. We are 100% Dodge Ram 1000 lb.-ft. from the Cummins I6 Turbo Diesel engine style fully torqued (Motortrend’s 2019 Truck of the Year). It’s Trucktober, but perhaps slightly more importantly, it’s hockey season again.

The Penguins have brought in some new faces, said goodbye to some old ones, saved some money some places, and spent some money in others. Platitudes are platitudes, but if there’s more than one platypus they’re platypi.

Our very own G-off uses many words, phrases, and thankfully very few numbers and charts (we promise) to give you a comprehensive overview on all the goings-on and goings-off.

And as for now, enough of all the Pomp(eani) and Circumstance. The Penguins welcome the Sabres to town. The Penguins are tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference, but sit just 2 points back of Washington and Toronto. Buffalo comes in in the same position, as both teams have just 82 games remaining to make up the ground.

Mike Sullivan will likely roll with this group:

Guentzel – Crosby – Hornqvist

Galchenyuk – Malkin – Tanev

McCann – Bjugstad – Kahun

Aston-Reese – Blueger – Simon

Dumoulin – Letang

Pettersson – Schultz

Riikola – Gudbranson/Marino

Murray

The Sabres got off to a hot start last year, only to languish and finish 6th in the Atlantic Division, just 2 points ahead of Detroit, ending the season on a 2-7-1 skid. Probably a little salt in the wound to watch Ryan O’Reilly win the Cup + Conn Smythe after they traded him for [checks notes] not all that much.

They stood relatively stagnant with their forwards, but made moves to supplement their defense in bringing in Colin Miller from Las Vegas (for picks), Brandon Montour (for Ra’s al Ghul), and Henri Jokiharju (for the not-good Nylander).

Olofsson – Eichel – Reinhart

Skinner – Johansson – Sobotka

Vesey – Middlestadt – Sheary

Girgensons – Larsson – Okposo

Dahlin – Miller

McCabe – Ristolainen

Scandella – Jokiharju

Hutton

Hockey’s back baby. It’s Trucktober.

Ram the Sabres.

Go Pens.