The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off the 2024-2025 season last week in an opening matchup with their Metropolitan Division rival, the New York Rangers. The Penguins were embarrassingly shutout 6-0 on their home ice and there were zero positives about that game. Tristan Jarry looked abysmal, the offense couldn’t score, defense looked abysmal, and the powerplay once again was miserable. The powerplay went 0-3 for that night while also allowing a shorthanded goal.
However, since that embarrassing Penguins loss, they took that to heart and bounced back. The rejuvenated Penguins have played fivegames since then and posses a record of 3-2 in that span.
General Manager Kyle Dubas made it evident that the Penguins need to start taking advantage of their schedule and beat the bad teams. So far, the Penguins have done that as they have defeated the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and the Buffalo Sabres.
Milestones
During the Penguins two game point streak, two milestones happened for Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Both in the same game against the Sabres. On Wednesday, the Penguins defeated the Sabres in a high scoring affair 6-5 in overtime. During that game, Crosby was able to log his 1,600th career point, but due to a three point night he is now at 1,602 career points. Crosby’s fellow center and teammate Malkin was also able to join in on the milestones as Malkin scored his 500th career goal.
The whole team gathered around Malkin to help him celebrate his special accomplishment. Malkin was even more ecstatic his 500th goal was assisted by Crosby as Malkin assisted Crosby on his 500th career goal. The two centers have been playing together for 19 years and counting and the two legends have a special friendship.
It is still very early into the season but, Evgeni Malkin is playing solid hockey right now. In five games, he has 11 points which leads the league. Malkin is currently averaging over two points a game which is insane and very impressive.
Goaltending
The Penguins goaltending has been very iffy overall as a unit, but there has been pros and cons. They were also dealt a bad hand as backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic landed on the injured reserve before the season even started. This allowed for the callup and NHL debut of prospect Joel Blomqvist.
Tristan Jarry vs. Joel Blomqvist Going Forward
Jarry was re-signed by the Penguins not too long ago to be the franchise goalie. However, so far this season, he has played like anything besides a franchise goaltender. In three games, he has a record of 1-1, an alarming 5.47 goals against average, and a .836 save percentage. Jarry needs to play better soon and if the Penguins have hopes of getting back to the playoffs and further, they are going to need Jarry to step up. In the win against the Sabres, Jarry was pulled early after having only two saves on five shots.
On the other hand, Blomqvist has looked solid so far in a small sample size. He has a record of 2-1 with a goals against average of 2.86 and a .913 save percentage. Hopefully, the rookie can continue to shine as his role in the future when Nedeljkovic comes back is still up in the air.
However, for right now the Penguins have a contest with another Metropolitan Division rival in the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night. Head coach Mike Sullivan is starting Blomqvist as he mentions they do not have Jarry’s best right now.
Bottom-Six Forwards Stepping Up Big Time
Dubas has spent a lot of money and time focusing on upgrading this bottom-six forward unit ever since he was hired by the Penguins to be the general manager. He also stated, he expects more than just defense out of his bottom-six and wants scoring as well. So far, the Penguins have gotten that depth scoring as Lars Eller has three points this season, Jesse Puljujarvi has three points as well. Also, Kevin Hayes and Anthony Beauvillier each have two goals this season. Anytime the Penguins can contribute offensively in the bottom-six gives the Penguins a great chance to win and takes immense pressure off of Crosby and Malkin.
Ryan Graves Rejuvenation
After a disappointing season from defenseman Ryan Graves, Dubas still has the upmost confidence in Graves and him having a bounce back season. So far, that has been the case as him and Rickard Rakell. Although Graves is still searching for his first point this season, he is still playing good defense.
Penguins Powerplay Is Back?
After being 30th on the powerplay last season, the Penguins addressed that by upgrading the roster. In addition, they also hired David Quinn to be the new coach of the powerplay unit. So far, the powerplay has had much more success as they are 11th in the league at 26.7% going into’s Friday game.
It is also worth noting, when Malkin scored his 500th career goal, the Penguins were just coming off of a powerplay but still had the advantage as the Sabres player did not get back to play yet. Even when the Penguins do not score, their powerplay still looks much improved with crisp passes and fast shots. Also, someone is standing in front of the net looking to screen the goalie or deflect a shot.
Main photo by: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
