Used to be that NHL teams had to be in training camp for a week before playing an exhibition game, logging a full seven days of drills and scrimmages before anyone started keeping score.

Not anymore.

These days, equipment managers barely have enough time to get nameplates stitched onto the backs of game sweaters -- not to mention hope of sticking "My Name is" stickers on the front, for the benefit of first-time teammates -- before it's time to start competing with guys whose sweater has a different crest, not just a different color.

And so the Penguins and Columbus will launch preseason hostilities at 7:38 p.m. today at Mellon, roughly 58 1/2 hours after the start of their first on-ice workouts of autumn.

"I don't think I've ever had it this quick," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said yesterday.

While the stakes are considerably lower than they were the last time the Penguins reported to their home rink for an evening's labors -- that would have been June 9, when they defeated Detroit in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final -- there will be NHL roster spots and roles up for grabs this evening.

Although Bylsma declined to divulge the makeup of his roster for the game, he suggested the franchise's most prominent players will be fairly well-represented.

"We only have six [exhibition] games, so you'll see a pretty decent lineup," he said. "Half and half [between established players and lesser figures] would be probably what happens for the first couple of games, generally speaking."

Bylsma didn't reveal his goaltending plans, either, but Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to play two periods and rookie Brad Thiessen, one.

For the core players on both teams, preseason games are an opportunity to regain their timing and touch, to fine-tune their games for the start of the regular season in little more than two weeks.

But for guys a few rungs down the depth chart -- the ones whose short-term futures hinge on how they perform at training camp -- these games represent their best chance to make an impression on management.

Consequently, fringe players sometimes get more caught up in the moment than established ones, and the result isn't always pleasant.

Witness last September, when hulking Tampa Bay winger David Koci, intent on grabbing a roster spot with the Lightning by virtue of his physical play and fighting ability, smeared Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar with a hit after Gonchar passed the puck.

That check certainly didn't hurt Koci's career -- he went on to play 37 games with Tampa Bay and St. Louis, and none in the minors -- but it had an impact on Gonchar's: He got a dislocated shoulder that required surgery and prevented him from playing until mid-February.

"Everybody's out there for a reason, and you have to realize that," left winger Chris Kunitz said. "Guys are looking to [earn] jobs, guys are looking to create chances for themselves.

"You go out and play like you're playing for your life, playing for your job. You have to show the coaches what you can do. I don't think too many guys feel like we're just going to walk through some exhibition games and everybody's going to leave each other alone."

Although having key players injured is a concern for every coach, especially in a game that doesn't count in the standings, Bylsma believes the plusses of getting immersed in preseason play after just a few days of practice outweigh potential negatives.

"I think Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin know where they stand on our team, so to go out and have five intrasquad games is something they don't really enjoy," he said.

"To be able to have some practices and get into competition against another jersey is better than to have to beat each other up for a week and a half."

NOTES -- Former Penguins right winger Petr Sykora has accepted a tryout with Minnesota while Fox Chapel native Bill Thomas, who was with the Penguins last season, has one with Toronto. ... Today's training-camp session, which will again be open to the public, is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature three practices and a scrimmage. ... Free-agent left winger Ryan Bayda, who plays an up-tempo, aggressive style, got an early endorsement from Bylsma, who said, "I liked what I saw from him [yesterday] and the first few days of camp." ... Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, watched part of yesterday's session with Penguins general manager Ray Shero. ... The Penguins were 4-0-1 in exhibition play last year.