The Pittsburgh Penguins may have been playing the Oilers in Edmonton, but they were the slippery ones on Thursday evening. Before the Oilers knew what hit them the Penguins had already earned a 3-0 lead three minutes into the contest. It was in the neighborhood of a team record
The Penguins brought some alternative energy to the contest early and those three goals were enough. Edmonton was only able to generate two goals on the evening. Pittsburgh was also able to pull something rare off, keeping Connor McDavid off of the scoresheet in 2025-26.
The victory is the Penguins third in a row and they have now taken standings points in the last six games. They have earned 10 out of a possible 12 points and now sit alone in second place in the Metropolitan Division. They are right in the thick of the playoff race as we head towards the Olympic break.
Good coaching
The Penguins as a general rule have been alternating goaltender starts throughout the season. Since trading for Stuart Skinner Pittsburgh has not gone to the same goalie in back to back starts which dates back to Stuart’s first start in Pittsburgh on December 16th.
For the first time this year Dan Muse went with Skinner in back to back games. He gave Skinner the first game in a back to back. This, I believe, was done on purpose so Skinner did not have to make a start on Edmonton’s home ice. Skinner has been playing great lately and a bad effort against his old teammates could be something that could derail a goaltender’s mentality, even if only for the short term. Muse avoided this situation and the Penguins rolled to victory, because…
Tristan Jarry started for Edmonton and was down three goals immediately. Edmonton left him in the entire game and he finished with allowing six goals and a .727 save percentage. It could not have gone worse for him. Who knows how things could have played out with Skinner in net, but this possibility was definitely on the table. In fact, it already happened in Pittsburgh when Skinner was a .773 goalie in a 6-4 loss to Edmonton on PPG Paints Arena ice.
Additionally, Dan Muse on multiple occasions threw Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the ice together at 5v5 after the penalty kill and near the end of the period. This should be standard operating procedure and something Mike Sullivan had a blind spot for during his entire tenure in Pittsburgh. In the two minutes they played together at 5v5 they had an xGF% of… 100%.
Chinakhov might just work out
Talking about a Chinakhov goal has become a regular occurrence in this space because he keeps scoring goals. Last night, Chinakhov shot the puck so hard you could hear David Staples complaining about chem trails in the press box.
This kid can shoot the puck and now he has some linemates who are getting it to him in spots on the ice where he can do some damage. He has three goals in his last five games, including goals in back to back games against Calgary and Edmonton.
For instance, let’s take a look at last night’s goal, which was so good nobody immediately knew he had scored.
Flat out, Chinakhov has an unreal release. His shot on its own is superb, but it is next level because he does not have to/want to give the puck extra touches. He just catches it and leaves a vapor trail. Given how good both Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak are at passing and creating space it doesn’t take a lot to weaponize Chinakhov’s shot.
Chinakhov was on a ten goal pace with Columbus this year. After last night Chinakhov is on a 42 goal pace with Pittsburgh. This seems like the kind of thing that Columbus is going to regret seeing multiple times a year for the foreseeable future.
Geno forever
Evgeni Malkin is without a contract for the 2026-27 season. He will be 40 years old when the season starts in October. Malkin is not looking for a long term deal and has expressed his willingness to accept a pay cut.
He also has 39 points in only 35 games this season. His 1.11 points per game is currently his best clip since the 2019-20 season when he was at 1.35 at 33 years of age. He is having a remarkable season and more than deserves another contract with the Penguins. The Penguins aren’t tanking. They don’t have anything close to a cap issue. Malkin is on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time Penguins.
Consequently, if Kyle Dubas doesn’t offer him a deal for next year, we riot.
Erik Karlsson is back in the lineup and the Penguins have a few days off. They have a chance to run the table on their western road swing with a victory over Vancouver on Sunday. In short, things are going well for the flightless fowl.
