The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped to 2-3 in pre-season action with a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. Despite firing 44 pucks on netminder Ville Husso, only Rickard Rakell lit the lamp, with the Penguins going 0-for-5 on the power play.
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Tristan Jarry played the entire contest and made 17 saves on 19 shots. For the fourth time this pre-season, the Penguins reached double digits in penalty minutes but killed off all five of the Red Wings man advantage attempts.
Although Pittsburgh rolled with an NHL-ready lineup featuring stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Michael Bunting, they failed to score more than one goal.
Here are a few takeaways from Tuesday night’s contest.
Shot Volume Doesn’t Always Result in More Goals
In Detroit, the Penguins scored five goals against a Red Wings team loaded with NHL veterans, but they were outshot 23-22 in the victory. Twenty-four later, they came out guns blazing, outshooting their opponents 14-4 after one, 26-10 after two, and finishing the net with a decisive edge in shots, 44-19.
However, they had one goal to show for it.
Bunting led Pittsburgh with five shots, followed by Rakell, their lone goal scorer. Ten other teammates had three shots on goal. There’s no denying that the Penguins had chances; they just ran into a hot goalie, thus the 2-1 loss.
Last year, when they reached a minimum of 35 shots on goal, they earned an 11-9 record. Intriguingly, on five occasions in those games, they either scored a single goal (twice) or were shut out (three).
The Penguins finished with the sixth most shots on goal (2,682) in 2023-24 but only scored the 18th most goals (255), producing a differential of only plus-4.
Unfortunately, Tuesday’s loss was a combination of running into a brick wall and overproducing shots, making it seem like they dominated from start to finish and were not rewarded for their efforts.
Power Play is Still a Work in Progress
The Penguins had five power play opportunities against the Red Wings, including the final 1:49 of the game. With an extra attacker on the ice, they were 6-on-4, buzzing around in the offensive zone, but no one could get the puck past Husso.
Considering that the Pittsburgh man advantage has run through Crosby, Malkin, and Letang for almost two decades, it’s surprising that the chemistry and finish are fading.
Anyone who watches the Edmonton Oilers knows Leon Draisaitl will sit on the goal line and wait for the one-timer. Meanwhile, opponents need to double or triple team Connor McDavid, who weaves in and out of traffic.
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The Penguins have Crosby, a 592-goal scorer, and Malkin, a 498-goal scorer, but their power play production has dropped to the bottom of the league. The special teams players have been shuffled, but the constant remains the same, and for some reason, it’s like the magic is gone.
Going 0-for-5 in a one-goal game makes a tight contest almost insufferable, as the opportunity to stay in the game is right there, but it’s only a brief moment, and it’s gone. So far, through five pre-season games, the club is 5-for-18 on the man advantage (27.7%), and their inability to get timely goals on the man advantage could still be the determining factor in whether or not Pittsburgh makes the playoffs.
This Team is More Than Crosby and Malkin
General manager Kyle Dubas was busy retooling the lineup during the offseason, bringing in Matt Grzelcyk, Anthony Beauvillier, and Cody Glass. These players were meant to complement the Penguins offense led by Crosby and Malkin.
It was evident on Tuesday night that these new players, plus a handful of the kids, are gelling just fine with one another. Crosby seems to be playing well with Beauvillier. Some will say Crosby is an all-time great, but many players have come and gone his wing because some get it and some don’t. Beauvillier is handling his role just fine.
Additionally, Grzelcyk played the most shifts among the Penguins’ defensive corps and collected three shots on goal. After eight years in Boston, he’s in a new environment and will play some more significant minutes while Erik Karlsson is out.
Finally, one of the most notable Penguins on Tuesday was 24-year-old Jonathan Gruden. Every time he was on the ice (9:05), it seemed like he was involved in the play. Despite one shot on goal, he led all forwards with three hits and even collected a turnover. All the while, he stayed out of the box and drew two penalties.
Everyone wins and loses as a team, but historically, the Penguins went only as far as Crosby and Malkin could carry them for years. As we all saw on Tuesday, their supporting cast is younger and eager to contribute, which feels refreshing for once.
Pittsburgh returns to the ice on Thursday at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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