you have a ticket to tonight's game it's not going to take you very long after the final few

echoes of jeff jemerson's dulcet tones to know whether or not your home team has still got it

going on good morning to you good tuesday morning. I'm Dan Kovachovich of DK. Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Penguins. It comes your way bright and early every weekday. If you're into football and or baseball, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Pirates that I hope. You'll also check out Penguins versus Devils.

708 p.m. faceoff.

PPG paints arena, I'll be there covering it for D.K. Pittsburgh Sports,

along with our beat writer, Taylor Haas.

And my focus in those first few minutes,

those vital and often very revealing first few minutes will be on tracking back.

If you're new to this beautiful game, I'm going to explain what tracking back is or trackbacks.

There's a lot of different terms that get used for this.

In its simplest description, it's when a forward tracks back through the neutral zone, principally,

but also back into the defensive zone, and at the very least finds someone to erase from the equation

for the defensemen who theoretically are already back.

I say theoretically because the team employs Chris Lattang and Eric Carlson.

So if both defensemen are back and the other team looks like it might have a three on two,

a situation that happens a ton in hockey, it's incumbent, no, no, no, it's imperative

that somebody the the nearest, closest

forward to center red, makes a B-line for it, you know, get your rear end moving. Find somebody,

anybody, get there, get tight. Don't be dumb and take a penalty, but be close enough that your

defenseman can read the overall picture and take one guy each.

That three on two now becomes not only a three on three, but just a generally clearer picture for everybody, gold tender included.

When the penguins have faced this particular opponent,

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