The Pittsburgh Penguins did not go 3-0 to start the season for the first time since 2013-14. In fact, they didn’t come close. They got run over by the New York Rangers by a score of 6-1, losing the special teams battle 0-3. There weren’t a lot of positives to draw from this defeat except for one big moment.
Kindel’s first goal
Rookie prospect Ben Kindel scored his first career NHL goal on Igor Shesterkin. Kindel picked up the puck in the neutral zone off a turn over and accelerated into the Rangers zone where he ripped a snap shot past Shesterkin.
Must be a thing about a #81 streaking up the right side and letting one rip. That kind of shot is going to bring him a lot of success at the NHL level.
It wasn’t just the goal for Kindel. He led all Penguins skaters with a 51.23 xGF% one of only two players (Wotherspoon) above the 50% mark on the game.
It is going to be a bad time if the lowest four on the list are Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell
In what was a poor night for the Penguins it was really nice to see Kindel be rewarded for all the work he has put in the past few months. There is a legitimate conversation to be had at this point on whether he will be sent back to juniors or not. He may not give the team a choice and it will have been well earned.
Mike Sullivan returns
Mike Sullivan returned to PPG Paints Arena for the first time officially as a visitor. He was given a deserved welcome back after his years with the team.
It was definitely time to move on for both the Penguins and Mike Sullivan, but there is no doubt he was the right coach at the right time to salvage the Crosby and Malkin era. He came in and put an exclamation point on what will be remembered as one of the best runs a franchise has had.
Not so special
The Penguins were dominated on special teams this evening. It wasn’t enough to give up two power play goals on the Rangers four opportunities, they decided they would spot the Rangers a shorthanded goal as well.
Losing the special teams battle 0-3 is a hole most teams won’t be able to dig themselves out of and this game was no exception
Koivunen “demotion”
Bryan Rust returned to the lineup last night and as a result somebody had to be removed from the NHL roster to make it happen. Ultimately, the team elected to send Ville Koivunen down to WB/S.
Ville Koivunen had a very lackluster performance through 2 games, but I don’t think it was egregious enough to earn a demotion. That’s why I don’t think it was a demotion as much as he was a victim of circumstance.
He wasn’t demoted as much as he was the only roster option to be eligible to be sent down to WB/S without waivers. Other options were sending Ben Kindel or Harrison Brunicke back to juniors. Those two options aren’t appealing at all right now. Alas, Koivunen will spend a little time playing big minutes in the AHL for now.
Update on Owen Pickering
Get your sleep in now
Coming up next for the Penguins on the schedule will be a week long trip to California. They will visit Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, respectively. So get your coffee ready because the Night Owl Club will be making its first appearance in 2025-26.
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