On Thursday, Oct. 13 the Pittsburgh Penguins will open their regular season at home against the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes had their fair share of struggles last season, but they are hoping they did enough in the offseason to improve their game. The Penguins also made some big moves over the summer so it should be an interesting regular-season opener. Here are some things to expect from both teams.
Penguins’ Coyotes’ Special Teams
Both the Coyotes and the Penguins had their struggles last year on special teams. The Coyotes ranked 30th out of 32 NHL teams last year in the power play. During the preseason, their penalty kill (PK) looked much improved from last year. They are hoping with the additions to their blue line, including veteran defenseman Josh Brown, the PK will find more success this season.
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The Penguins know all about the ebbs and flows of special teams. At the beginning of last season, their power play was one of the best in the league. However, in the second part of the season, special teams started to decline and they never fully recovered. Pittsburgh’s power play did not look great during the preseason nor did the PK. If the Penguins do not address these issues, they are in for a long season.
Penguins’ Coyotes’ Forwards
The Coyotes will be looking to forward Lawson Crouse to lead the way this season. Last year, Crouse scored a career-high 20 goals and 14 assists in 65 games. He just signed a five-year contract with the team in August that is worth a total of $21.5 million. At 6-foot-4, the left winger is a good, physical player. His aggressive playing style is exactly what the Coyotes are looking for, and will be looking for him to take on a leadership role this year.
Another big name on the Coyotes’ offense is Clayton Keller. Last season Keller scored 28 goals and had 35 assists in 67 games. He suffered a broken femur on March 30 and did not play at all during the preseason. However, the team is planning to have him back out on the ice Thursday in Pittsburgh. Keller is also a physical player, who the Coyotes will be relying on to have another good year.
The biggest story of the summer in Pittsburgh was the re-signing of forward Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins signed Malkin to a four-year extension with an average annual value of $6.1 million. This means he will finish out his hockey career in Pittsburgh with longtime teammate and captain Sidney Crosby. Last year he played in 41 games and scored a total of 20 goals with 22 assists. The 36- year-old is about to begin his 17th season in the NHL, and he looks to be in the best shape of his career. He plans to prove that he can still be a huge contributor to this team.
Another huge move for the Penguins this summer was the signing of forward Rickard Rakell. Pittsburgh signed Rakell to a six-year contract that carries an average annual value of $5 million. He was traded to the Penguins in March by the Anaheim Ducks and quickly became a fan favorite. He played in 19 games last year and scored four goals with a total of 13 points. He is a strong skater with good hockey sense and the Penguins are expecting big things from him this year.
2020-23 Season Goals
The Coyotes are in a rebuilding phase. They have made it clear that they want to develop their reputation as a hard-hitting, physical group. With an average height of 6’2, they are not a team to be taken lightly. Their record last season was 25-50-7, and they finished in eighth place in the Central Division. However, the team did go on a bit of a run at the end of last season, winning five of their last seven games. Head coach Andre Tourigny is looking to build off that momentum.
The Penguins had a busy offseason and are planning to go on another Stanley Cup run. With the re-signing of Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, the team has kept it’s core intact and added some fresh blood to the lineup. They have put themselves in a good position to be successful, and if they can manage to stay healthy they will be a serious contender.
