Well, that didn’t go as planned. The Oct. 10 season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks was supposed to be the unveiling of the new-look Pittsburgh Penguins, with a revamped blue line and an improved forward corps. After all the roster turnover and high-profile pickups during the offseason, 2023-24 was expected to be different.
10 of the 20 players dressed for Pens’ season opener last Oct. 13 v. Arizona are gone: Dumoulin, Archibald, Zucker, McGinn, Poehling, Petry, Kapanen, Heinen, Rutta, DeSmith.
— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) October 10, 2023
It did look that way, for at least the first two periods. But the third period turned into a movie fans have seen before: a team with nothing to lose played hard, took the lead, and beat the Penguins.
It’s okay to be frustrated, but it’s important to remember that it’s only the first game. It’s also important to note what went right and build from there.
Bryan Rust on the Bright Side
One feel-good moment for the Penguins was who opened the season scoring: Bryan Rust. He deserved some good puck luck after suffering several slumps last season that limited his production.
At 7:04 of the opening period, Rust tipped in a shot from Kris Letang for his first of the season. Before the game, the players were asked who they thought would score the first goal. Although Sidney Crosby got the most votes with eight, Rust was next with five, including votes from Crosby and head coach Mike Sullivan. When he returned to the bench after his goal, Rust got some much-needed encouragement from his longtime captain.
Crosby to Rust after he scored the first goal: "I picked you!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/w47udavXIK
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2023
What’s also encouraging is that both Letang and Crosby still have their legs in this their 18th season together. Letang showed his offensive spark and picked up the primary assist on Rust’s goal, and Crosby added a goal of his own in the second period.
Another positive, Jake Guentzel made his regular-season debut. After successful ankle surgery during the offseason, Guentzel was initially expected to miss the first month of the season. Instead, he played more than 19 minutes, fired four shots on net and picked up a primary assist on Crosby’s goal. Having him available to get in sync with Crosby and Rust will be key for the team going forward.
Related: 3 Penguins with Something to Prove in 2023-24
Equally important to the Penguins’ attack, Evgeni Malkin showed that he, too, has not yet lost a step. Credited with six shots, Malkin led the team with one more than Rust and looked good on the power play. However, the Penguins went 0-2 with the man advantage, and getting an early jump will be key after the team ranked 14th last season. Fortunately, Rickard Rakell, Malkin’s main weapon both at even strength and on the power play, also played well, firing two shots and adding four hits.
Penguins Issues
While there were plenty of encouraging signs up front, the team’s defense will be a work in progress going forward, especially Erik Karlsson. For all of his offensive genius, the newest Penguin superstar will have to get used to a new system and a new partner, Marcus Pettersson, in his new surroundings.
Defensive lapses led to exploitable holes, which led to a victimized goaltender. Tristan Jarry, for his part, had a solid game through two periods. With 26 saves on 27 shots, he looked like he had turned the page on last season as well, but then there were those miscues in front of him in the third. Though the Blackhawks are expected to be a draft lottery team again this season, they can’t be taken lightly. Turns out, that Connor Bedard kid is pretty good.
The Penguins allowed four unanswered goals, three in the third period alone, which was eerily similar to the collapse they suffered against the Blackhawks on April 11. Twice in six months, they failed to hold a lead against one of the league’s weakest teams. With the first loss, they failed to clinch a playoff spot. With Tuesday’s loss, they failed to make a statement that they had returned. Unless that was the statement.
Fortunately, it’s too early in the season to start writing the Penguins’ epitaph, a team that had gone all-in on one more run but ultimately couldn’t pull it out. There’s too much hockey to be played and too much talent on the roster for the team not to figure it out. Some might think that game was a symbolic passing of the torch, but with Crosby still looking as good as he does at age 36, we can bet that he will have the final say. We will see. One game at a time.
