The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their 2026 preseason by defeating the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 4-1. The Penguins entered the game with a much more polished lineup than the Sabres did, and the game played out that way. Pittsburgh held an xGF% share of 61.34 and were in control for most of the game.
Here are some observations I had from the game
Kindel looked great before he left
Ben Kindel had a superb rookie season. He was one of the few 18-year-olds from his draft class to play a regular NHL shift in 2025-26. Last year, he got by with his high end hockey intelligence and his sublime hands. He was a hard worker, but his legs didn’t take him quite as fast as his counterparts.
This seems to be something Kindel worked on over the offseason because he looked noticeably quicker. If you add an element of speed to Kindel’s game, he is going to become a dynamic player in the league. He is already positionally sound and is a terrific passer. If he is able to steal time and space with his legs, his ascension is going to be so much fun to watch. I do not predict a Sophomore slump coming for Kindel. I expect to see a better version than we saw last year.
Here is Kindel speaking about his offseason
That was the good, here is the bad. We only saw Kindel play one period last night because he was injured and did not return. It is being described as a lower body injury. I may have found a potential source of the injury.
He is using his right foot to stop the momentum into the net, but then gets his left side stuck underneath him. I would be concerned with anything knee-related or a high ankle sprain. I do think there’s a path forward where he escaped any injury of significance. Him being pulled from a preseason game as a precautionary measure is completely on the table.
There was also a blocked shot which could very well have led to his departure, too.
We’ll see where this goes. It would be a real shame if he had to miss time. As I said, he looked like the best player on the ice.
UPDATE: Kindle is day-to-day, so good news
No rust to start the year
Bryan Rust looked terrific. He looked like a top-six veteran player going up against the Sabres roster hopefuls. This is exactly what he should look like and did. He had his quick release going on his shot, which led to a nice crossbar ping and ultimately a goal on the power play. He is coming off another quality season where he tied his career high in points with 65.
Solid start for Murashov
Sergei Murashov looked very composed and comfortable in his skin. It was a quality outing for the young Russian looking to become the Penguins #1 goaltender this year. He has looked the part in the AHL and against this particular Sabres roster. He is proven at this level. The big question is what happens when the other roster has 18 NHL-caliber players on it. I’m hoping his next game with the Penguins in the preseason comes with more proven NHL talent on the other team.
The buzz around Murashov is breaking containment. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski had this to say about the netminder in his bold predictions column:
One thing that will change: The effectiveness of their goaltending, thanks to Murashov. The 22-year-old rookie dominated Russian juniors, the ECHL and the AHL en route to earning a spot in the Pittsburgh crease with Arturs Silovs. He’s one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL, and there already are expectations he takes the starting job before the turn of the calendar.
Is this putting too much on a guy who was tending goal for Yaroslavl Loko Jr. two years ago? Probably. Has he earned that level of hype? He has, and based on his play and his comportment, he might meet it this season.
Hayes loves Buffalo
Penguins forward Avery Hayes loves the Sabres. In his career debut, he scored twice against the Sabres, and last night he added another.
Hayes is a hard-working player who doesn’t take anything for granted. I really liked that earlier in the game when the defenders were backing in, he tried multiple curls and drags into a shooting position to get pucks on net. When you’re playing depth minutes and get into the upper slot area, use the player as a screen and make the goalie make a play. He backs players down because of his speed.
He combined his speed, tenacity, and shot when he scored an impressive individual effort goal
For a guy who is up against it because of his waiver-exempt status, this was a nice start to the preseason for him.
Window of opportunity
Filip Hallander gets lost in the shuffle because he left the Penguins organization, played overseas, came back, and had his blood-clotting issues last season.
He has turned into a quality professional player over the years. He is also a center, and yesterday news broke that Blake Lizotte is week-to-week and will miss the start of the season. This is the kind of window a bubble player needs to seize, and last night he did. He was one of the Penguins best forwards, and he led all Penguins in xGF% at 93.7. He was noticeable in the offensive zone with five shots.
I believe Dan Muse will take notice on how positionally sound Hallander was. If Muse is able to trust where a depth player is going to be that will go a long way in a player making his way into the lineup. Right now, I believe Hallander has the inside track to make the opening night roster as the 4th line center and last night was a step in that direction.
New defense pairings
Last night, we saw what is likely to be one of the opening night pairings in Kris Letang and Trevor van Riemsdyk. Much like we saw with Bryan Rust, these veteran players looked the part playing against an inexperienced Sabres squad. The pair finished with an xGF% of 86.10. It was a good start.
It was a different story for the Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering pairing. They were 36.30 xGF% together. Considering the opposition, this is not what you want to see from two Penguins players who need to show out to make the big roster. It is one preseason game so we don’t have to be making sweeping statements about the path forward. In this moment, I think it is fair to say they didn’t perform relative to expectations. It will now be their job to go out and do better the next chance they get.
Penguins back in action tonight
The Penguins are back in action tonight against the Red Wings. This lineup has some star power. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be playing
We will get our first look at the Ruck brothers together in NHL action.
I will have an eye on Bill Zonnon and Tomas Galvas to see how they acclimate themselves to the NHL competition.
We will also get our first look at Kaeden Korczak in a Penguins uniform.
