The Pittsburgh Penguins began their regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 10 against the Chicago Blackhawks. This was probably one of the most anticipated season openers for both fan bases with the Blackhawks debuting Connor Bedard, the number one pick in the draft this year, and the Penguins’ new and improved roster on display. However, the game left Pittsburgh fans with a familiar taste of disappointment in their mouths. A blown lead coupled with poor defense and a lack of bottom-six involvement makes it hard not to wonder if history will repeat itself this season.
Erik Karlsson
On Aug. 6, the Penguins made a three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks and the Montreal Canadiens to acquire defenseman Erik Karlsson. As a three-time Norris Trophy winner, Karlsson’s reputation preceded itself, however, his regular season debut was not as flashy as some may have hoped. He led the team in ice time playing a total of 26:04 and his play on the offensive side of the puck was decent. He also had two shots on goal.
Karlsson’s defensive game in the home opener left a little to be desired. He was on the ice for three of the Blackhawks’ four goals, and when he was in the game during five-on-five play, Pittsburgh was outshot 20-14. In the first three games of the season, he has so far recorded only one assist. The fact that he is on a new team with new teammates must be taken into account, but the Penguins are hoping he adjusts to his new surroundings sooner rather than later.
Special Teams
Special teams were a huge area of concern for the Penguins after last season, and the debut of their upgraded power play unit against Chicago was not that great. In the first period, the first power play unit run through Karlsson only recorded one shot on goal and looked extremely disjointed. However, team captain Sidney Crosby gave the power play some life in Pittsburgh’s 4-0 win over the Washington Capitals on Friday, Oct. 13, scoring two goals.
The penalty kill unit successfully killed off all four of the Blackhawks’ power play attempts but still looked very passive and had issues clearing the puck throughout the game. In the Penguins’ 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 14, one of the Flames’ two goals came off of their power play. So far, the PK has lacked aggression and is relying too much on the goaltender.
Bottom Six
If Pittsburgh learned anything last season it was the importance of depth scoring. Kyle Dubas, president of hockey operations and general manager, made it his mission over the offseason to strengthen the bottom six. He signed players like Lars Eller, Matthew Nieto and Noel Acciari who have so far helped out on the defensive side of the puck but not so much on offense.
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In three games, the Penguins have scored a total of 11 goals which have all come from members of the top two lines. The only point from someone in the bottom six came from Eller off of his secondary assist on Bryan Rust’s first-period goal against the Blackhawks. There are four new members of the bottom six this season so naturally there is going to be an adjustment period, but hopefully for Pittsburgh, it does not last too long.
Trending in the Right Direction
There have no doubt been some growing pains so far this season, but the Penguins have now won two games in a row and will be looking to build off that momentum. If the bottom six can start contributing on offense and the special teams issues can be worked out, they should have no problem doing that. Pittsburgh will be on the road against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
