Pittsburgh Penguins: 4 Preseason Mistakes to Avoid

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Sep 22, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Rasmus Tirronen (80) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman

Olli Maatta

(3) during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

We’re two games into the Pittsburgh Penguins preseason schedule and storylines are in abundance. Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby lit up the Carolina Hurricanes with the help of Chris Kunitz and Daniel Sprong is the talk of the town as he makes a case for an NHL roster spot.

There are also positives on the defensive side of things as Adam Clendening looked very good with Ian Cole and the top-pairing of Olli Maatta and Kris Letang were as impressive as anticipated. In fact, both players scored goals in the contest and proved that they are healthy and ready for 2015-16.

However, as happens in any training camp, there have been some lows and disappointments as well. We can start with the defensive pairing of Sergei Gonchar and Brian Dumoulin as a great example of an experiment not working out. We can also discuss the fact that Rob Scuderi and Derrick Pouliot have been absent from both preseason games so far.

Those disappointments lead us to mistakes that teams often make this time of year. Click below to begin, as we discuss the avoidable lapses in judgement that the Pittsburgh Penguins need to steer clear of.

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