The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up their first win of the 2024-25 season thanks to a 6-3 victory on the road against the Detroit Red Wings.
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Backed by a rookie goalie and a legend collecting his 800th assist (twice), the Penguins scored timely goals and got scoring from depth players to avenge a disastrous opening night defeat in front of the home crowd.
Like the 2023-24 season, Pittsburgh is 1-1-0 after two games, so what can we talk about the second game of a back-to-back? Here are some takeaways from the Penguins first win of the season.
Secondary Scoring Leads the Way
Most nights, fans tune into Penguins games to watch Sidney Crosby and Malkin score goals. On Thursday night, neither of these future Hall of Famers found the back of the net; instead, they fed pucks to Anthony Beauvillier (two goals), Drew O’Connor, and Erik Karlsson.
Additionally, defenseman Marcus Pettersson (unassisted) and Kevin Hayes lit the lamp to extend a Pittsburgh streak of six goals in a game against the Red Wings to three consecutive contests, dating back to last year.
Only Crosby, Byran Rust, and Malkin reached 20 goals all season, along with Jake Guentzel, who had 22 before a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. Secondary scoring was a significant reason behind the club’s inability to sneak into the playoffs.
So, getting a bunch of goals from depth skaters who have yet to reach 400 goals in their careers will help change the narrative this season that the Penguins are not playoff contenders.
Goaltender Controvsary Brewing in Pittsburgh?
The Penguins opening night loss to the New York Rangers was not entirely on the shoulders of the team’s No. 1 goalie, Tristan Jarry. However, he didn’t do himself any favors by giving up six goals and walking away with an .850 SV%.
On his night off, Jarry sat on the bench and watched Joel Blomqvist make his NHL debut and post a .906 SV%. Blomqvist made 29 saves on 32 goals, giving up two even-strength goals and a power play tally.
Thursday night may have been a small sample size, but Jarry finished last season with a .903 SV% and played in 28 games in which his save percentage equaled Blomqvist’s debut, which was 54% of his games played in the previous year.
If Pittsburgh wants to end their two-year playoff drought, they need a goalie to make saves continuously and boost the team’s overall SV% statistics. Believe it or not, head coach Mike Sullivan needs to ride the hot hand and give Blomqvist the start on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Blomqvist beat a fringe playoff team like the Red Wings, and he needs to show that he’s up to the task against a Stanley Cup contender like the Maple Leafs. If he’s up to the test, some discussions about Jarry’s future in Pittsburgh will surely start.
What to Make of Special Teams Through Six Periods
Just like the second game of the 2023-24 season, the Penguins netted their first power-play goal of the new year on Thursday night. However, unlike their first two contests from the previous campaign, the Red Wings collected a man-advantage goal (5-on-3) to end Pittsburgh’s perfect penalty-kill streak at five.
Although the Penguins only took two penalties in the opener, they were a tad bit sloppy with their sticks and collected three high-sticking penalties in Detroit. Moreover, their two other infractions were hooking and slashing; both stick penalties.
Related: NHL Announces Rule Changes for 2024-25 Season
As mentioned after several pre-season contests, Pittsburgh must avoid spending ten or more minutes in the box nightly. The penalty killers will get burnt out, and their offensive game will never stay on track. It’s too early in the season, but bad habits are hard to break once they start. Discipline is critical to future success.
But speaking of successes, the Penguins netted their first power-play goal of 2024-25 and now have a 20% success rate on the man advantage. Even though people want to laugh at that statistic and say it’s “only two games,” Pittsburgh finished 30th in the NHL with a success rate of 15.3%.
The team is already clicking at a higher rate, and if they can continue to maintain this kind of success, the goals will come, and the team will benefit from those opportunities and move up the rankings. Yes, it’s early, but the solid play of special teams through six periods is a positive thing behind their 1-1-0 record.
Pittsburgh heads north to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. The puck drops at Scotiabank Arena at 7:00 pm.
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