Penguins Announce Preseason Lineup, Scrimmage

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced a preseason lineup for Wednesday’s road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 PM ET at Nationwide Arena) and will hold a free, public non-game scrimmage Wednesday morning at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex; the game will be available via nhl.com/penguins and on 105.9 The X. Practice notes showed Ben Kindel getting more NHL run before an expected return to juniors, Tristan Broz rejoining the roster after recent scoring, and Connor Clifton penciled in as a veteran depth option, while Joona Koppanen was absent from the scrimmage list with a lower‑body injury. Aidan McDonough, on an AHL contract, drew attention by skating with Sidney Crosby in practice, and other notable practice pairings included Justin Brazeau/Philip Tomasino and Ville Koivunen/Filip Hallander. In Monday’s preseason loss at Montreal, Tristan Broz scored Pittsburgh’s regulation and shootout goals while Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist split goaltending duties, with Murashov taking the shootout loss. Rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke earned praise for a standout performance in Montreal, raising questions about the Penguins’ crowded right-side defense corps as coaches evaluate veterans and prospects ahead of roster decisions.