In countless games last season, the Penguins dominated five-on-five play but had meager results to show for it.
The story was very much the same on Tuesday night.
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Despite registering over 40 shots on goal and carrying play for most of the night, the Penguins came up short and fell to the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, in the second of a back-to-back slate with them.
Rickard Rakell scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh, and the Penguins went 0-3 on the power play despite some great looks. Detroit goaltender Ville Husso stopped 43 of 44 shots and was stellar throughout the game.
Here are some thoughts, notes, and observations from tonight’s preseason matchup.
– I think The Hockey News – Pittsburgh Penguins page is about to become a Harrison Brunicke fan page.
I feel like I’ve been repeating myself a lot over the last several days, but what a performance by him. He was everywhere tonight, and he was good in all three zones. He joined the rush. He sprung breakouts. He broke up some plays in the defensive zone. He imposed his will in the neutral zone.
This guy – at age 18 and fresh off the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – looks like a top-six NHL defenseman right now. At this point, the Penguins need to highly consider giving Brunicke an extended look with the nine-game trial run, regardless of Erik Karlsson’s health.
Jack St. Ivany has been good, but he’s also waiver-exempt and can easily be moved back up to the NHL club after the trial run.
At this point, I need to see more of Brunicke. And I think the Penguins do, too.
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– Vasiliy Ponomarev left the game midway through the second period after crashing hard into the boards and did not return. Head coach Mike Sullivan said they’re evaluating Ponomarev for an undisclosed injury.
He was favoring his left shoulder when he came off the ice. Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious because he’s definitely been one of the standout players in camp vying for a roster spot. It would be unfortunate for him if it’s something that keeps him out.
– I really like what I’m seeing from the Penguins’ power play so far in the preseason.
It did not register a goal tonight, but the differences from last season are noticeable and palpable. There is a lot more puck movement. A lot more player movement and less standing still. They are utilizing a low bumper – usually Rust – once they establish possession in the zone, which has already paid off on more than one occasion.
Rakell is in a great position to use the best asset he offers in his shot, as is Malkin. The power play seems to be running through the defenseman – in this case, Letang, although, it could be Karlsson in the regular season. Crosby is in his office. Rust operates well as a bumper/goal line presence.
It’s a small sample, but there’s a lot to like so far. Hopefully, this carries into the regular season, and the Penguins will see more regular results with with it this season.
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– Sidney Crosby was responsible for the big turnover that led to the Detroit game-winning goal. He attempted a cross-ice pass along the boards in the neutral zone, and it was intercepted by Detroit’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who assisted on Nate Danielson’s resulting goal.
It’s the preseason, but responsible play late in games – including by the team’s stars – needs to be a focus for this team in 2024-25. They gave up way too many deflating late goals last season as a direct result of poor turnovers.
– Evgeni Malkin’s line was, once again, the best of the night. Rickard Rakell, in particular, stood out. He had about a million chances at the end, including one off the crossbar during the final push.
I said it the other day, too, but Rakell is locked in. He’s hit iron multiple times over a few games, and he scored the lone goal tonight.
I expect a big season from him, and I think that entire line is going to be massive for the Penguins.
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– Husso was phenomenal in this game making 43 saves on 44 shots.
The Penguins brought it all night, and he had to make some tough saves. He stopped Crosby on a breakaway late in the first period and made it look easy. He survived a few onslaughts by the Penguins’ power play and by the Penguins’ second line.
He was also saved by the iron a few times, but he earned the win for his team.
– The Penguins play two more preseason games – a back-to-back against Columbus on Thursday and Friday – before they close out training camp and look ahead to the regular season.
I expect to see hefty roster cuts coming tomorrow. I do think there will be a few guys who stick around, just so some guys aren’t forced to go back-to-back. And I imagine it will be the few remaining players battling for the final roster spots.
We will see who sticks around come Wednesday. But prepare for some more prominent names to be cut – and waived – within the next couple of days.
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