As training camp begins the fight for the final spot on the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line begins. Which of PO Joseph, Mark Friedman, or Ty Smith will earn that spot? The Pittsburgh Penguins were not ready to play on Tuesday night, falling 6-2 to the Detroit Red Wings in their third preseason contest. After sitting their stars for Sunday's split-squad scrimmage, the Penguins rolled out their NHL squad (minus the third forward line) against the Red Wings. Brock McGinn got the Penguins started on the right foot, finishing off a feed from Marcus Pettersson to put the Penguins up 1-0 just 1:42 into the game. Shortly after, the Penguins drew their first penalty against a mostly minor league Red Wings squad. The Penguin's power play was a major issue for the team last season, finishing 19th in the NHL during the regular season and struggling to finish during the postseason. Those issues continued to show on Tuesday night as the Penguins failed to connect on three straight opportunities in the first 20 minutes. Dominik Kubalik capitalized on the Red Wings first man advantage to tie the game at one with 4:18 left in the opening period. The Red Wings put the Penguins on their heels to start the second period, scoring three goals in under seven minutes, capping it off with a floating wrist shot by Steven Kampfer on the power play to make it 4-1 in favor of the visitors. Bryan Rust gave the Penguins some sense of life midway through the second period when he drove hard to the net before backhanding a shot over the shoulder of the Red Wings netminder Sebastian Cossa to cut the lead to 4-2. The third period delivered more of the same for the Penguins as they allowed another early goal to fall behind 5-2 just three minutes into the final frame. The Red Wings continued to parade to the penalty box but kept the Penguins off the board while adding a shorthanded tally by Kubalik to make it 6-2. The first unit switched deployment on the final opportunity, having Rust run the power play from the right half wall instead of Evgeni Malkin. The top power play created a few chances early on that final opportunity but ultimately was unsuccessful again. The Penguins finished the game 0-9 on the man advantage. Kasperi Kapanen was initially scheduled to play in tonight's game but was scratched due to illness. Jeff Carter also missed tonight's game and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained during Saturday's inter-squad scrimmage. The Penguins are back in preseason action on Saturday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Send Down Isaac Belliveau, Ryan McCleary [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-down-isaac-belliveau-ryan-mccleary] Penguins Have Room for Improvement After Preseason Openers Vs. Blue Jackets [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-room-improvement-blue-jackets] Penguins Preseason Primer: What and Who to Watch For [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-2022-preseason-primer] Sidney Crosby Was 'Sweating' During Penguins Negotiations with Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/sidney-crosby-sweating-pittsburgh-penguins-kris-letang-evgeni-malkin] Winning Stands Over Big Three Retirement for Penguins Sidney Crosby [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/news/winning-tall-pittsburgh-penguins-sidney-crosby] Three Under-The-Radar Penguins Prospects [https://www.si.com/nhl/penguins/pens-talk/under-radar-pittsburgh-penguins-prospects] * undefined * undefined
