The calendar may read September 2024, but on Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins were playing like it was 2017 all over again.
As the team headed to Sudbury, ON, to celebrate Kraft Hockeyville, the Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2 thanks to a hat trick from Evgeni Malkin and two goals from Sidney Crosby.
In their first pre-season contest loaded with an NHL-ready lineup, the Penguins started slow but rallied to score the game’s final four goals to pick up a big win at the 73-year-old Sudbury Community Arena.
Here are a couple of talking points regarding the convincing win.
Tristan Jarry Needs More Reps to Avoid Stumbling Out of the Gate
If Penguins fans want to begin the 2024-25 season with a glass-half-empty mentality, they would want to believe that Tristan Jarry will return to form and lead the club back to the playoffs.
However, it was evident through the first period that he may not be ready for opening night. Besides giving up two goals, both on the blocker side, he stumbled through his start.
Whether making the first save or getting cleanly beat only for the post to bail him out, Jarry kept flip-flopping on the ice, even losing his stick for a brief sequence.
Ultimately, it was not a brilliant performance for the veteran netminder, who is penciled in to be Pittsburgh’s 1A when the games start to count.
Some people will call it rust because he has yet to face NHL-caliber opponents. However, no matter how we examine the situation, based on his shaky performance, there is a chance that the Penguins could have dropped this game if he had stayed between the pipes, wasting the performances of Malkin and Crosby.
Pittsburgh has four games left in the pre-season, and Jarry needs more reps. Otherwise, the leash will be relatively short for the goalie and head coach, Mike Sullivan, who can’t afford to let his top netminder stumble out of the gate.
Pre-Season Penalty Troubles Must End Now
On Sunday, the Penguins deployed a lineup loaded with NHL players about ten days away from starting their regular season. Yet, the scoresheet shows that Pittsburgh racked up 29 penalty minutes in the 5-2 win against the Senators, bringing their pre-season total to 45 in only three contests.
For those keeping track at home, that’s about 15 penalty minutes a game. Last year, the Penguins collected more than 15 minutes in only three contests, two of which were in March.
Pittsburgh already has special teams issues, but the endless parade to the box for infractions like tripping and hooking disrupts the game flow and prevents their stars from extra ice time to create magic and score goals.
Once again, it is only pre-season, and each contest has different lineups. But the Penguins need to avoid 29 penalty minutes when they play scrappy teams like the Senators, one of the many opponents on the schedule out to prove themselves against a veteran team.
With four games in the next five days, two against Detroit and two against Columbus, it will be interesting to watch the Penguins keep their cool and stay out of the box.
Playoffs are Within Reach With Performances Like Tonight
For almost twenty years, Pittsburgh fans have heard the same three names on a goal: Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang. No matter who is lighting the lamp or passing the puck, this trio has an undeniable chemistry and a sixth sense of where each other is on the ice.
In their first pre-season contest, Malkin scored three goals, Crosby chipped in two, and Letang had two helpers. Even though they are collectively 112 years old, they had eight points on Sunday night, factoring into every Penguins goal.
Unfortunately, this level of play isn’t sustainable through an 82-game season, and many other teammates will want to get in on the action. But, if these three continue to click like they do, with each chasing down personal milestones in 2024-25, qualifying for the playoffs is no longer out of the question; it will become a reality with each passing game.
The Penguins haven’t played a meaningful game yet, but with their stars playing at a peak level so early, the weariness many fans feel right now should subside by the end of October at this pace.
Pittsburgh play against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night after their Saturday night contest was postponed due to a mechanical issue with their plane.
Bookmark THN’s Pittsburgh Penguins site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more.
