The Penguins put a varsity lineup on the ice last night against Buffalo, and came away with a 3-1 win over the Sabres. Rickard Rakell scored off a Sidney Crosby pass and Drew O’Connor netted two goals in the third period, one on a deflection and the other into an empty net. Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 27 shots on goal.
For newly-acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson, it was his first game action with his new teammates, and he said he’s settling in as a Penguin.
Pens captain Sidney Crosby will be skating without Jake Guentzel for at least the first five games of the season. He said Rickard Rakell is more than capable of filling Guentzel’s role on the top line.
The Penguins skate next against Ottawa in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Crosby’s home province in Canada, on Tuesday night.
The Pens yesterday pulled a shocker, waiving highly touted defenseman Ty Smith. Coach Mike Sullivan explained that it was a numbers game. Smith will probably be claimed by another team. Also waived were Wilkes-Barre/Scranton captain Taylor Fedun, along with Jonathan Gruden, Rem Pitlick, and Xavier Ouellet. Nine others were optioned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, including top prospects Isaac Belliveau and Joel Blomqvist.













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