We are two games into the 2025-26 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 2-0-0. The Penguins have put together two solid performances with strong third periods to secure victory. They even added a wardrobe surprise for this one.
In their new threads, they defeated the New York Islanders by a score of 4-3; They finished the game with a 5v5 xGF% of 60.13. Here is how it went down.
New look Penguins
There were yellow helmets spotted around the rink during the morning skate and then the Penguins players were wearing them during warmups. The Penguins were definitely cooking something up.
When the Penguins came out for the game they were indeed in their new look third jerseys, an all-yellow look as a nod to the 1980’s.
I really like the way they went about debuting the new jersey. I was good showmanship that they didn’t make a big show of teasing it. They dropped some easter eggs along the way and then just came out in them.
As for the jersey, I do like the all yellow look. My one complaint is that there is no triangle alongside the Penguin on the crest. The absence of the triangle kind of gives the vibe of a practice jersey.
I really like the igloo shoulder patches. It is a great nod to their former building and a unique design that only they can use.
I think they look sharp and are way better than some of the recent offerings the Penguins have put out there. Both diagonal Pittsburgh jerseys fell completely flat for me. The black Snoop Dogg one could have been decent if they used the robo Pen on the shoulder patches instead of the current logo. The white Pittsburgh diagonal was just a complete abomination. Nothing about it looks good and it was a huge disappointment for me.
I give these new thirds a thumbs up.
Geno Machino is on fire
Someone who feels really comfortable in the new jersey is Evgeni Malkin. He is off to a blazing start this season.
Don’t look now, but Evgeni Malkin is doing things he has never done before in his 20 year career. This is the best two game start that he has ever had. It really is something that he can still pull out some incredible achievements previously not done despite being a player who has pretty much done it all.
Malkin first time in his career with multi point games in back to back games to start the year
This is great to see. There seems to be this certainty about Evgeni Malkin playing his last season in 2025-26 and I’m not quite on board with that. Malkin in multiple interviews has eluded to this maybe being his final season and also saying maybe more. Why on earth would the Penguins push him away if he can still be a solid top six player?
It is a long season and it will be up to Malkin to keep his legs and strength for the entire campaign. This is a fun start to the year.
At the conclusion of last night’s game Malkin was the leading scorer in the NHL, which Jack Eichel wrestled back later in the evening.
First career goal
Harrison Brunicke’s first task this fall was to make the big roster. He did, and now the next part is looking like you belong on an NHL ice sheet. He is doing that, too. Last night, in his first ever home game, he was able to register his first ever goal.
Brunicke is not shy in joining the play and used it to his advantage.
This may be the first, but it won’t be the last time we see a goal like this from Brunicke. He is going to be a mainstay for the Penguins for years to come.
Sid joined the party
Sidney Crosby found himself on the scoresheet for the first time in the 2025-26 season scoring a goal and adding an assist.
His goal came on a primary assist from Evgeni Malkin on the power play and it was of the very vintage variety.
If the Captain is down on one knee and gets the puck on his stick, good luck. There was just no way the Islanders defender was going to lift Crosby’s stick once he got in that posture.
This goal was the goal right after Brunicke’s first career goal and it provided a great contrast of where the team is right now.
Brunicke from Hallander and Crosby from Malkin. Two distinctly different generations combining forces in the victory.
We are finally getting *that* Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson was amazing last night. He was buzzing all over the place. He looks like a superstar out there and the kind of player the Penguins thought they were getting when they traded for him. It makes for a really fun watch
There are a few variables at play on why I think we are starting to see the megastar Karlsson showing up
This is definitely part of the equation and I would wager that they both didn’t care for one another. Karlsson is a very beat to his own drum type of player and I think Mike Sullivan was kind of a control freak with things.
Additionally, as I’ve mentioned before, it being an Olympic year is going to give Karlsson some added juice to the season. He has something to play for. The previous two years the writing was on the wall for the Penguins. They weren’t a contender. Now he has an ability to play for a contender and I think it will raise his quality of play.
Playing well this season is also in his best interest for attracting other contenders to trade for his services. So there are a few factors at play and why I think he is going to have a really good and really fun season.
Same old Jarry
I am going to lead with the positive. I thought Jarry finished the game strong and made some important saves down the stretch in the Penguins 4-3 victory. Regardless, Jarry remains a clunky goaltender who you can’t trust in any given moment. This comment sums things up perfectly
When the Penguins host the Rangers on Saturday I would definitely run back Arturs Silovs and I imagine that will be the case.
Lackluster start
There have been a lot of positives to start the year. However, not everything is going the way it should. Ville Koivunen is off to a pretty slow start despite being placed with Sidney CRosby and Rickard Rakell on the first line.
Last year, Koivunen showed poise and looked the part playing in the top six to close out the 2024-25 season. I was expecting to see more of that at the start of this season, but it has not happened. Koivunen’s slow start hasn’t gone unnoticed because Dan Muse bumped him off the top line and replaced him with Filip Hallander midway through the game.
There is no reason to panic two games into the season. This is just something that caught my attention and I will be monitoring moving forward. We’ll see what Coach Muse does with Koivunen when Bryan Rust returns to the lineup, which will be soon and maybe tomorrow.
Mario is back
Lastly, it was great to see Mario Lemieux back in the arena. He hasn’t been as much of a presence with the team after he sold his shares to the Fenway Sports Group. Mario is such a vibe and when he’s in the building it is a lot better than when he’s not.
The Penguins will look to stay undefeated and atop the President’s Trophy standings when they host the Rangers tomorrow
How we feelin’ boys?