Few predicted that the Pittsburgh Penguins would win their first two games of the season. It’s too soon to buy playoff tickets, and the Penguins are still in a transitional period, but those two wins showed that they can find success in 2025-26. Their first two games of the season should be their blueprint moving forward.
Penguins Proved They Can Win
No one is saying the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup, but through three games, they have not been as bad as most predicted. In their season opener on Oct. 7, Pittsburgh defeated the New York Rangers 3-0, and then they beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Oct. 9.
Last season, one of the Penguins’ biggest issues was defense. It is still a concern, but they proved in their opener against the Rangers that they can play good team defense. They kept the Rangers to the outside and were good on the forecheck. Their zone exits were also much better.
The Rangers struggled throughout the game to break the puck out of their own zone and could not get their forecheck going. The Penguins spent the whole night clogging up the passing lanes, and they did not give up much off the rush. It was the best they have defended in a couple of seasons.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson’s time in Pittsburgh has been a mixed bag, but he put together a strong performance against the Rangers. He had good positional awareness throughout the game, and his skating and puck control were exceptional. The Penguins outworked New York and played well from start to finish.
Evgeni Malkin had a strong performance against both the Rangers and Islanders. He skated well and has been good at setting up chances. He has five points through three games.
The Penguins’ power play was on fire against the Islanders on Thursday, with Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby both scoring power-play goals. The defense had another strong performance, and Karlsson again led the way, skating well and finding separation in close spaces. He was all over the offensive zone and showed a lot of confidence.
Newcomer Justin Brazeau had strong performances against the Rangers and the Islanders with three goals, while rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke have also played well.
Will the Penguins Continue Winning?
New head coach Dan Muse had a good game plan coming into this season. In their first two games, the Penguins applied pressure at the point of attack and never took their foot off the gas. They didn’t overcomplicate things and played a simple, precise game.
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On Oct. 11, the Penguins lost in their rematch to the Rangers 6-1. Arturs Silovs was the starting goaltender for Pittsburgh, and his inexperience was painfully apparent. He allowed at least one goal in each period and allowed New York to take over the game in the second period with three goals.
The Penguins outshot the Rangers 9-4 in the first period, but their lack of attention to detail and their inability to stay out of the penalty box cost them the game. Their goalie situation is still very much a work in progress. Silovs performed well against New York in the first game, stopping all 25 shots he faced. However, in the rematch, he showed that he still has a lot to learn.
Tristan Jarry, the Penguins’ starting goaltender, was in net against the Islanders and turned in a good overall performance. He gave up a couple of weak goals, but made some good saves in the third period. Jarry has struggled with consistency and spent time in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season working on his issues. If the Penguins can get their goaltending situation figured out, they could be on their way to a decent season.
