The Penguins used the following lineup of potential lower-lineup players and maybe a third pairing or two possibility surrounded by future minor leaguers in their first home preseason game of the season against Detroit on Friday night.

The visiting Red Wings didn’t exactly bring their A-team either, though they did start Whitehall native John Gibson for his very first taste of action with the winged wheel on his chest and bring a couple of recent first round picks in Carter Bear and Nate Danielson to the party.

Detroit got the better of the play early but the game settled in until AHL contracted rookie Aaron Huglen got forced into a bad idea with a pass coming up the ice that got picked off and Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea were both way up on the play and out of position. That gave John Leonard a free look at picking a spot, and he did just that wiring a puck by Tristan Jarry. Leonard scored 36 goals last season in the AHL (for Charlotte) and, well, you can see how with this shot.

Detroit scored on the power play, and it was Leonard again. This one was a little flick of the wrist from just inside of the blueline, a couple of players waved their sticks at it, but it looked like it went straight through and somehow eluded Jarry. 2-0.

The Pens got on the board early in the second period, Jack St. Ivany took the wide open space he was given to skate to space and centered the puck for Connor Dewar. Dewar made a spinning backhand shot that might have been hopeful but did have some zip and elevation on it. 2-1 game.

Philip Tomasino raised the temperature of the game when he went into Gibson at high speed. There was some back pressure on him from a defender and Tomasino did try to leap up instead of plow right through but that got the ire of Gibson and a bunch of Red Wings to try and pound him. Even up penalties resulted, which seemed just.

During a TV timeout near the mid-way point of the period, and game, both teams change out their goalies. Arturs Silovs gets into the net for the Pens, Jarry departs having stopped 11 of 13 shots.

The change of goalies eventually let the Pens’ class shine, Detroit put in an undrafted goalie signed from the Czech league. He gave up a goal to Robby Fabbri, with the former Red Wing knifing through the defense and getting to the far post quicker than the goalie 2-2 game.

Pittsburgh struck on the power play in the third period to take their first lead and the lead for good. A quick series of passes ended up with Filip Hallander finding Philip Tomasino all alone in front. Wrong guy for the Red Wings. 3-2 Pens.

That ended up being it for the scoring, and the Pens have their first win of the 2025-26 season.

A few random thoughts to put a bow on the night:

And now we’re through with it! There won’t be a bigger difference all year from the quarter-filled building tonight and a lineup of mostly non-factors for what the arena will turn into in just 24 hours. The stars will be out, the stands will be packed for the Pens’ game against Columbus to see Marc-Andre Fleury play a period one more time.