The Pittsburgh Penguins may have dropped a shootout decision to the Montreal Canadiens by a 2-1 score, but there were plenty of positives to go around. The players of note you would want to do well, did.
Starting with the goaltending both of the Penguins netminders played really well. As I mentioned yesterday Joel Blomqvist is looking for a bounce back from last year’s NHL minutes and he started with 11 saves on 11 shots navigating some early Montreal power plays. It was a solid outing for Blomqvist.
Sergei Murashov entered at almost the exact halfway point in the game due to a Sam Poulin fight going down at 10:05 of the second period. Murashov may have given up the only Montreal goal in regulation, but he was really good in stopping 19 of the 20 shots he faced. The goal against came on a scramble in which he received minimal help.
These two goaltenders are going to be in a friendly rivalry for the foreseeable future. They are both expected to compete for NHL minutes and it is up to them on when those minutes come. Ideally, they will continue to push each other and provide the Penguins some quality goaltending.
Looking the part
One of the focal points of training camp both last year and this year has been Harrison Brunicke. I continue to be impressed by his play. His skating is very smooth and he has decent speed. He is able to combine this with his quality work with the puck. He has what I like to call smart hands. It doesn’t need to be flashy to be highly productive. His stickhandling on the move always has him ready to make a play and facilitate the puck to his teammates.
Brunicke is a bright player and puts both himself and others in better spots than when they started. He looks like a guy who will be able to play in all situations. His work in the bumper spot on the power play in this game led directly to Tristan Broz’s power play goal. It was a quick simple decision which froze the Canadiens and allowed Broz a window to rip a quick and precise shot into the net
Brunicke has been paired with Owen Pickering and if nothing drastic changes I believe that could be one of the Penguins NHL pairings to start the 2025-26 season. I don’t think Brunicke is going to give the Penguins much of a choice. He’s on his way.
Promising start
Ben Kindel probably isn’t going to turn heads in his first NHL preseason. He can however flash the signs of why he was selected with the Penguins first selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. You can see he has a natural urge and ability to see the ice and look for time and space. This is the hard part to teach a player. I think as he builds up his strength with more training you will start to see more tangible results from this vision.
This isn’t meant as criticism because I don’t find his skating to be a weakness. I think he will be able to get around just fine in the NHL. The stride just needs a little more explosion to give him the time he will need in the league to do the great things he’s done in junior hockey.
I also like the fact that throughout the Penguins prospect tournament and last night’s game he finds himself near the netfront. This despite not having the biggest frame. He will go and get in there even if it means some NHL veterans want to “introduce him to the league” with some rough moments after the whistle. I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen and I think it will just take some seasoning.
Lastly, I found myself drawn to Tommy Novak’s maneuverability with the puck entering the zone and moving around in the offensive zone. I think he’s going to be a good fit for the Penguins and provide some quality depth minutes for the team. If they can get him some linemates who can also do a little bit with the puck they might be cooking with some third line depth scoring this year. It looks like it will be a refreshing change of pace from when players like Jeff Carter were in the same spot in the lineup.
The Penguins will be back in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Columbus. We’ll have to wait and see which batch of players will be in the lineup.
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