The Pittsburgh Penguins hope Karlsson’s arrival on the blue line will help ease the burden on their aging stars

START:
D Jeff Petry, D Brian Dumoulin, F Jason Zucker, F Danton Heinen, F Mikael Granlund, G Casey DeSmith.

ADDITIONAL:
D Erik Karlsson, D Ryan Graves, C Lars Eller, F Reilly Smith, C Noel Acciar.

GUARDIAN:
Tristan Jarry (24-13-7, 2.90 GAA, .909 save percentage), Magnus Hellberg (4-8-1, 3.29, .885) and Alex Nedeljkovic (5-7-2, 3, 53, 0.895).

FANDUEL STANLEY CUP SPORTSBOOK ODDS:
1-22.

PREVIOUS SEASON:
The longest playoff streak in North American sports ended at 16 as the Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Pittsburgh’s 40-31-11 record is one point away from the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

POWER:
The Penguins will have no shortage of scoring options, especially with Karlsson – the defending Norris Trophy winner – joining Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang, among others. The power play will be filled with stars but may cause a bit of selfishness. Karlsson’s arrival could encourage more shots and fewer passes.

WEAKNESSES:
Pittsburgh’s bottom team last season was essentially an anchor who played a key role in the club’s playoff defeat. That needs to change to ease the pressure on Crosby and company, who are all in their 30s.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
The Penguins intend to maximize the remaining time of the Crosby/Malkin/Letang era. First-year general manager and director of hockey operations Kyle Dubas spent much of the summer trying to undo some of the damage caused by former general manager Ron Hextall’s ineffective regime. Karlsson and Ryan Graves have greatly improved Pittsburgh’s blue line and better depth is needed up front. A return to the playoffs is possible if their aging core can stay healthy, a big “if” at this point in their careers. PLAYERS WATCH:
Jarry was a two-time All-Star but also a bit of a mystery. He still hasn’t played a game after the first round of the playoffs, and the decision to sign him to a five-year contract is curious. When he played, he was in the top 10 goalkeepers. When he’s not present, he’s anonymous. With so little behind them, the Penguins are betting big that Jarry can be consistent enough to help them make a deep playoff run in the spring. In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss current pop culture news in Pittsburgh, including the new 30-minute documentary by WQED-TV “Equity on Ice:
The Willie O’Ree Academy” (8 p.m. Oct. 5, Channel 13), produced by Beth Dolinar and Dave Forstate with narration by Brian Cook.

The film covers the academy, a mentoring initiative of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dick’s Sporting Goods founded in 2021 and named in honor of Canadian Willie O’Ree, who became the first black player NHL’s first in 1958. “Equity on Ice” explores the story of O’Ree and the young participants in the Pittsburgh program that sought to expand hockey to a more diverse audience .

Owen and Benz discuss the fall TV season, such as this year when writer and actor strikes affect scripted programming, especially on broadcast networks. The good news is that cable/streaming TV and PBS were less affected.

The two also discussed Rupert Murdoch’s resignation as Fox Corp. chairman. what do they mean. could have implications for the future of Fox News Channel, and they’re talking about WWE’s “Smackdown” moving from Fox to the US cable network in October 2024.

Owen goes into detail about adding ads to Amazon Prime Video in 2024. Viewers who want their Amazon shows to be ad-free will have to pay an additional $3 per month on top of the Amazon Prime subscription fee.