-This might be the last time we see the Mellon Arena like this:

-Demolition is scheduled to start Monday.

-The current barn (with Pro-PG grafitti):

-A Brent Johnson fan:

-Someone needs to update their equipment bag:

-The ice:

-The rafters:

-Today's lineups:

 

-Some sights around the arena. On account of the Penguins giving away all of today's tickets to youth hockey groups, there are lots:

-And lots:

-And lots of kids here today:

-For some reason, the Highmark Kids Zone is packed today:

-But the Miller Lite Brew House is empty:

-Some jerseys. Dave Schultz:

-Ron Francis has at least two fans here:

-Minnesota North Stars:

-Jersey of the Day: Jim Johnson:

-The Penguins' starters are Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Eric Tangradi, Zbynek Michalek, Brian Strait and Brad Thiessen.

-The Wild's starters are Jed Ortmeyer, Warren Peters, Casey Wellman, Jordan Hendry, Marco Scandella and Niklas Backstrom.

-The Penguins' line combinations appear to be:

Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Colin McDonald
Pascal Dupuis- Richard Park - Matt Cooke
Steve MacIntyre -Joe Vitale -Arron Asham
Eric Tangradi - Ryan Craig - Nick Johnson

Joe Morrow - Kris Letang
Brian Strait - Zbynek Michalek
Alexandre Picard -Matt Niskanen

FIRST PERIOD

17:10: Niskanen corrals a loose puck at the top of the slot and fires a slapper on net. Backstrom eats it up despite traffic.

16:53: Vitale thumps Clayton Stoner with a stiff check in the left wing corner.

15:22: From the right wing, Matt Cullen set up Stoner on a backdoor/"Ryan Whitney" play but Thiessen is able to slide to his left and kick it out.

15:19: After an icing call, the Penguins call a time-out to rest their players.

14:43: McDonald pushes the puck up the right wing, gains the offensive zone and chips it behind the Wild net. As he does that, Justin Falk slams him to the boards and drops him with a solid shoulder check.

12:16: Offsetting minors as Park is called for tripping near the Wild cage. The Wild is nabbed for too many men. Carson McMillan will serve the minor. Four on four.

11:39: Kuinitz is called for tripping Cullen. Cullen went down WAAAAAYYY to easily there. Four on three for 1:23. Craig, Cook and Michalek take the ice.

10:48: Craig blocks a slapper by Cullen at the left point then chases down the rebound to clear it. Heck of an effort

10:21: Wellman fires a slapper from the left point. Thiessen goes to the butterfly and kicks it out. Scandella is in deep on the right wing but can't punch the rebound by Thiesen.

10:16: Park and McMillan return to the ice. Five on four for 37 seconds.

8:50: Matt Cooke involved in a scrum?!? Say it ain't so! Cooke slams Jed Ortmeyer into the boards in the left wing corner of the Wild zone. Play is halted and Cooke immediately turns with an expression of disbelief. A scrum develops. Johnson and a Wild player really get into it. Cooke is sent off for boarding. Michalek, Park, Vitale and Letang take the ice.

6:50: If you can imagine such a thing, a Mike Yeo-coached team does nothing with a power play.

5:51: This is vintage 2010-11 Penguins here. Another penalty. Park is nabbed for holding.

5:07: Craig intercepts a pass in the defensive zone and chips it down ice. Craig has been a force on the penalty kill today.

3:57: Cooke and Strait sandwich Wellman to the ice with a solid hit at the left point of the Penguins' zone.

3:51: A Mike Yeo-coached team is 0-for-3 on the power play? Staggering.

3:09: The Penguins get a shot on the power play as Peters is called for interference. Morrow, Letang, Kunitz, Malkin and Johnson take the ice.

3:01: Morrow booms a one-timer from above the right circle. Backstrom kicks it out.

2:03: Johnson takes a pass down low below the goal line on the left wing, does a nifty spin move and tries to jam it by Backstrom. No dice.

1:51: Park cracks a one-timer from above the left circle. Backstrom boots it out.

1:33: From the right circle, Kunitz grips and rips a wrister on net. Backstrom kicks it out with his left leg.

0:32: Pierre-Marc Bouchard whips a wrister from the right point wide to the near side.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 0, Wild 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-Mike Yeo and Dan Bylsma going a combined 0-for 824,292 on the power play? Huh?

-We like this Cooke-Park-Dupuis line. There's plenty of speed on the line and all three have a little bit of a scoring touch.

-Ryan Craig has been strong on the penalty kill. He's trying to show he belongs.

-Joe Morrow continues to just display pure talent.

-Thiessen could be a back-up goaltender for a lot of NHL teams.

-It's interesting to see the coaching staff send out Johnson instead of Tangradi on the first power play.

-McDonald continues to create some offensive chances.

-The Penguins have a 12-5 lead in shots despite having to kill several penalties.

-McDonald leads the game with three shots.

-Stoner leads the Wild with two.

-Cullen leads the game with 8:21 in ice time.

-Michalek leads the Penguins with 8:01.

-The Wild has a 9-5 lead in faceoffs (64 percent).

-Cullen is 7 for 9 (78 percent).

-Vitale is 3 for 5 (60 percent).

-No one has more than one blocked shot.

SECOND PERIOD

18:57: Malkin leads a rush up the right wing and leaves a drop pass for Letang at the right point. Letang chops a slapper on net. Backstrom fights it off.

18:12: Malkin and Falk mix it up in the corner. Malkin chops at his stick. No call.

16:38: MacIntyre got away with interference as he knocked down Jared Spurgeon in the slot of the Wild's zone.

15:30: MacIntyre clobbers Jarod Palmer aon the left wing boards at the Wild blue line.

15:10ish: Spurgeon drops Michalek behind the Penguins' net with a solid hit. The physical play is picking up.

14:44: Falk collects a loose puck in the left circle of the Penguins' zone and tosses it towards the crease. It hits a skate or two and deflects on net. Thiessen kicks it out.

14:28: Bouchard has a chance in tight but can't punch it by Thiessen's left skate. Big save.

14:24: MacIntyre is called for boarding. Cooke, Strait, Michalek and Vitale take the ice.

13:28: A tough spot here for the Penguins. Dupuis is sent off for slashing Spurgeon's stick in half. The Penguins will have 1:04 of a five on three to kill. The Wild calls a time out to get organized. Vitale, Cooke and Michalek take the ice.

12:47: Cullen cracks a one-timer from the left circle wide on the near side. It hits off the end boards and ricochets to the left circle. Vitale dives to poke check it down ice for a clear.

12:42: MacIntyre's penalty is killed. The Penguins still have 56 seconds of a five on four to kill.

12:07: Kunitz chips the puck up ice on the right wing and creates a pseudo two-on-one with Park. Kunitz elects to shoot. Backstrom kicks it out.

11:28: Insert your Mike Yeo/Power Play joke here. The Penguins kill off Dupuis' penalty.

10:49: Kunitz taps a feed to Letang at the right point. Letang chops a one-timer which clinks off the crossbar and hits glass.

10:33: Peters hacks Letang's legs and trips him. Niskanen, Dupuis, Tangradi, Johnson and Picard take the ice.

9:58: Cullen pushes the puck up ice on the left wing in fron of the Penguins' bench. Tangradi hits him in the shoulder an sends him into the boards face first. Marco Scandella goes right after Tangradi who is ready to fight. They mostly wrestle in front of the bench. Not many punches are thrown. Cullen appears fine. That was a prefectly clean hit. Just an unfortunate landing by Cullen. Tangradi gets a fighting major. Scandella gets a fighting major, a ten-minute misconduct, an instigating minor and a minor for having a visor.The Penguins will get a five on three for 1:25. Jon DiSalvatore will serve Scandella's minors. Johnson, Kunitz, Malkin, Letang and Morrow take the ice.

9:26: Insert another Mike Yeo power play joke here. Letang controls the puck on the left point.  He fakes a shot and deals a pass to Morrow at the right point. Morrow cranks a one-timer which blows by Backtrom over the shoulder on his glove hand side. Kunitz was in front on a wonderful screen. Letang and Malkin. The Penguins still have 3:29 of power play time. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 1-0.

8:20: Letang cranks a one-timer from above the left circle. Backstrom boots it away.

8:08: What a rocket. Malkin leads a rush into the offensive zone and leaves a drop pass for Dupuis in the slot. Dupuis steps up and booms a ridiculous one-tmer which toasts Backstrom's glove hand. Wow! Dupuis reaches up to the heavens to celebrate. Malkin gets the only assist. The Wild will have 2:00 of a power play to kill. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 2-0.

6:29: Malkin circles the offensive zone and deals a pass to Letang on the right wing. Letang jabs a shot on net. Backstrom denies.

6:16: Kunitz feeds a pass to Letang who gains the offensive zone with speed. He attempts to attack the net but Falk trips him up. Fans lobby for a penalty shot but Falk is given a minor. Letang also gets a diving minor. That seemed bogus. Five on three for eight seconds. Michalek, Vitale, Strait, Craig and Johnson take the ice.

6:10: This is just impressive. Right off a faceoff win, Strait gets the puck at the top of the slot and booms a slapper on net. It sneaks through traffic and beats Backstrom Vitale and Johnson were in front on a screen. Mike Yeo jokes surrender. Vitale gets the only assist. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is exhausted. Penguins 3-0.

4:07: Johnson slams Palmer with a solid hit in the neutral zone.

4:02: Nick Johnson is nabbed for unsportsmanlike conduct. Vitale, Cooke, Strait and Michalek take the ice.

3:50: Another tough spot for the Penguins. Strait is sent off for slashing. Vitale, Cooke and Michalek take the ice.

3:17: From the top of the point, Cullen deals a pass to Wellman to the right of the cage. Wellman sweeps a forehand shot on net and is denied by Thiessen.

2:02: Johnson's minor is killed.

1:50: And so is Strait's. Poor Mike Yeo.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 3, Wild 0.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-This is almost cruel. Mike Yeo returns and the Penguins' power play comes to life.

-Morrow looks like he could merit consideration to get one of those 10-game "tryouts" NHL teams are allowed to use with junior-eligible players. The talent is there.

-The Penguins collectively are doing a wonderful job at going to the net. Johnson, Vitale, Kunitz and others have parked themselves in front of Backstrom most of the game.

-Malkin still looks scary.

-Thiessen has hardly been tested but he's done his job.

-The Penguins have a 20-11 lead in shots.

-Kunitz, McDonald, Morrow and Wellman each lead the game with three shots.

-Letang leads the game with 16:25 of ice time.

-Spurgeon leads the Wild with 15:26.

-The Wild has a 21-15 lead in faceoffs (58 percent).

-Cullen is 13 for 18 (68 percent).

-Vitale is 7 for 12 (58 percent).

-Stoney leads the game with five blocked shots.

-Niskanen leads the Penguins with two.

THIRD PERIOD

18:42: Another power play for the Penguins. Ortmeyer is called for tripping Malkin in the left wing circle. Malkin, McDonald, Morrow, Letang and Kunitz take the ice.

18:07: Morrow whips a wrister on net from the top of the slot. Backstrom is able to fight it off and cover as Kunitz and McDonald crash in.

17:51: Morrow booms a slapper from the right point. Falk leans down and blocks it. Ouch.

16:35: As the Penguins' power play expires, Ortmeyer gets behind the defense and appears to have hopes for a breakaway. Thiessen challenge him with a poke check and prevents a shot.

15:24: Wellman flicks a wrister from the left wing deep along the goal line. Thiessen kicks it out.

15:03: Falk tries to get something started with Craig but nothing happens. Peters goes to the box for boarding. Malkin,

14:59: Malkin wins a faceoff in the right circle. Morrow takes the pass at the right point and deals a pass to the left point. Letang winds up and fires a one-timer which hits Colton Gillies in the leg. The puck deflects to Malkin who is able to shuffle it into the net behind an out of place Backstrom. A nice garbage goal. Letang and Morrow get assists. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. The power play is hot. Penguins 4-0.

12:52: Nystrom and Gilles collide in a train wreck at center ice. That might have provided the loudest cheer all afternoon.

12:37: Nystrom pushes the puck up the left wing and cranks a one-timer from the left circle which toasts Thiessen's glove hand on the far side. Niskanen didn't exactly challenge Nystrom all that well on the play. Cullen and Gilles get assists. Penguins 4-1.

11:39: Cooke gets another penalty. This time for tripping. Asham, Strait, Dupuis and Michalek take the ice.

11:18: A one-timer attempt by Jeff Penner in the right circle goes wide on the near side.

9:28: Malkin weaves his way into the offensive zone fending off a defender and backhand flips a shot over the Wild cage. He's just scary right now with how he controls the puck.

6:59: Cooke shoves Penner to the ice along the left wing wall in the Wild's zone.

6:36: Park goes back to the penalty box. This time for hooking. That is his third penalty. Dupuis, Michalek, Strait ang Vitale take the ice.

6:09: Cullen grips and rips a wrister from the right point

5:45: Niskanen thumps Peters to the ice on the left wing boards of the left wing.

4:36: Park's penalty is killed. The Wild is 0 for 9 with the power play.

2:44: MacIntyre slammed Falk into the boards behind the Wild net.

0:33: Picard throws a puck at the net from the left point. It hits a body in front.

0:00: End of game. Penguins 4, Wild 1.

POSTGAME

-Well... the power play worked. Granted it was a preseason game and it was against a lineup stocked with AHL talent. But it looked dangerous. It looked organized. It looked like an actual asset. It's a refreshing change.

-One thing which the Penguins seemed to do very consistently today was go to the net. Niklas Backstrom didn't have an easy day on account of the bodies in black in front of him. The Penguins didn't do this very well the past few seasons. The seemed to have improved in that area quite a bit so far in the preseason.

-Joe Morrow looks like an NHL-ready defenseman. Sure, that's easy to say after a few quality preseason games, but his talent is there. If the Penguins weren't so deep at the position, he gets one of those 10-game "tryouts" at the very least to start the season.

-News flash: Evgeni Malkin is good.

-Wild coach Mike Yeo was asked what it's like to coach against Malkin for the first time. His response: "It's not fun."

-Nick Johnson continues to show he's ready to contribute at the NHL level. He's going to the net. He's playing in all three zones. He's playing a perfect style of hockey for this team.

-Joe Vitale is making a case too. He was solid in the faceoff circle and was strong on the penalty kill as well.

-The officiating was a little lackluster today. Lots of bogus penalties and missed calls against each team.

-Brad Thiessen was hardly challenged, but he was strong. He is an NHL-caliber back-up.

-The Penguins' power play went 4 for 6. Nice.

-The Wild's power play went 0 for 9. Oof.

-The Penguins led in shots, 26-17.

-Morrow, Clayton Stoner and Casey Wellman each led the game with four shots.

-Kris Letang led the game with 23:43 of ice time.

-Jordan Hendry led the Wild with 21:20 of ice time.

-Matt Cullen was 14 for 22 in faceoffs (64 percent).

-Malkin was 6 for 10 (60 percent).

-Stoner led the Wild with six blocked shots.

-Matt Niskanen and Johnson each led the Penguins with two.