Pens Report: Gameday against the Islanders!

Coachspeak with Dan Bylsma…

On Orpik and Letang:
It’s been an interesting dynamic. They’ve been together and have been on the same team together for a while now. Brooks has taken the older brother role at times and helped him out both on and off the ice. On the ice, he helps him with his game and learning the position. This year, in particular being matched up together I think is good. It’s at a different level this year, last year they were together for a short period of time. This year, it’s a matchup pair. The style of defensive play that Brooks offers, the physical aspect of his game, allows Kris to be a little more offensive and handle the puck and jump in the play a little more. But Kris in his own right has strong defensive play. He’s a physical guy and tough to play against. He’s done a very good job at that, in addition to the offensive puck-moving guy that I think you are probably getting more notice of, the power-play guy. They know going over the boards together that they’re shutting down the other team’s top pair. I think Kris has some confidence in his game, on both sides of it, because of having Brooks as a defensive partner.

10:26 AM:
Kunitz and Letang are both on the ice right now warming up for the Pens morning skate. That’s a good sign as both players missed practice yesterday.