Going into the Pittsburgh Penguins opening night, there have been many questions waiting to be answered by the team. Now yes, it is only one game out of a long season. That doesn’t mean we can’t start somewhere. Here are some notes and impressions of the Penguins first game of the 2023-2024 season.
Penguins Opening Night Had Ups and Downs
The Penguins opening night unfortunately resulted in a defeat to Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. It was not all bad though. Let’s begin with a few bright spots from this 4-2 loss against the Blackhawks at home. These players were the difference makers offensively for the Penguins.
Bryan Rust
Bryan Rust scored one of the Penguins two goals in this game on a nasty deflection from a shot by Kris Letang on the right side. Rust also recorded five shots in his 18:54 of ice time. He was however on the ice for one of the Chicago goals. For the most part, Rust was one of the few players flying around the ice and generating chances. He seemed to be the main reason why the top line looked so sharp. He was able to start his season off on the right foot as he was disappointed in the way he had played last season. Tonight was a good start for the Penguins top-line winger.
Jake Guenztel
It was unexpected when it was announced that Jake Guenztel would play this game as a “game-time decision” all day. Thank goodness he took the ice. He felt like he was right with Rust on generating chances. One right off the post early in the third period to give the Penguins that 3-1 cushion. Another golden opportunity was robbed by Petr Mrazek on the right side late in the third period. Opportunities that just couldn’t be cashed in. He recorded an assist on the Sidney Crosby goal, four shots, two hits, and 19:21 TOI.
Goaltending
Tristan Jarry looked very solid in the first 40 minutes of this game. The rest of the team didn’t do Jarry any favours. It seemed like as the game went on, the more opportunities were given to the Blackhawks to capitalize on their chances. At the same time, Petr Mrazek seemed to be able to shut down any opportunity that the Penguins generated. Jarry was not able to respond in this same manner. Although he played a good game for the most part, it felt like the better goalie ultimately won. A loss always overshadows the overall play of the goalie. Although Jarry appeared to let his foot off the gas, he was the least of the Penguins problems in this game.
Same Story, Different Players
The Penguins were up in this game going into the second period. The Blackhawks were able to cut the lead in half in the second period as well. This still required the Penguins to capitalize on opportunities and shut Chicago down defensively. Neither of these occurred. They outshot Chicago 40-36 and won 67.8% of the faceoffs. They were only able to score two goals from those 40 shots that went through. Needless to say, it’s hard to win a hockey game when you’re only able to generate two goals of offence in a game that generated so many shots across the board. The Blackhawks were able to score four times out of their 36 shots.
The Penguins also played a sloppy game defensively. Giving Chicago enough chances to get into the game. They were able to go to the power play four times. Just because they didn’t capitalize on their power play, doesn’t mean that these chances didn’t provide momentum shifts. These shifts are even more highlighted when you’re playing from behind. The Penguins allowed four unanswered goals, three in the third period alone. Blown leads are something that the Penguins wished to leave in the past. It appeared to haunt them this evening.
Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson played just as we thought that he would. He put up a lot of minutes with 20:34 at 5×5, 29 shifts. A plus/minus of -2, 29 shot attempts and 32 attempts against. All of this to say that he definitely made his presence known. It just didn’t seem to be very effective. This is the same on the power play. Karlsson is the main addition to the power play. As expected, the power play appeared to be disjointed. Adjustments will need to be made to the power play in order to find the “right” identity with Karlsson. This is going to have to come with both time and patience as the season progresses.
Final Thoughts
With much anticipation generated with this team, it seemed to end in a way that is too familiar. Solid play that generates offence, but ultimately fades away. This gives way to a team that cannot shut down their opponent and results in a blown lead. Seems to be a tale as old as time for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With all of this taken into consideration, it is only the first game of the season. The Pittsburgh Penguins have a new General Manager and a new President of Hockey Operations. They have revamped about half of their roster. Rome wasn’t built in a day. This team isn’t going to ascend to its potential in one night. It will take time and adjustment. The Penguins have a couple of days to head back to the drawing board.
The Penguins next game will be on October 13th at the Washington Capitals, 7:30 PM EST.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
