When October hits, prime fall weather begins, school is in session, and the best month in sports kicks off. Playoff baseball, football in full swing, basketball beginning, and finally, above all, the start of the NHL season. Most importantly for our city, Pittsburgh’s beloved Penguins hit the ice.
As the most recent team to win a championship in Pittsburgh, lifting the Stanley Cup in both ‘16 and ‘17, the Penguins once again look to restore the championship factor in the City of Champions. The team’s offseason was a more eventful one then fans are accustomed to. Trades, re-signings, and acquisitions all took place.
A few key moves that have been made are trading for Nick Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, signing Finnish Forward Villie Koivunen to an eight-year deal (the second longest contract the Penguins have ever dished out, the first a 12-year deal given out to none other than Sidney Crosby), and re-signing fan favorite and Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin to a two year deal to keep the longest tenured trio in North American Sports history of Crosby, Letang, and Malkin together for another year.
The Penguins 26-27 campaign began against the Philadelphia Flyers, who ended their season in the first round of the playoffs just four months ago. The Penguins came out with a kind of energy that most coaches only dream of, scoring just over five minutes into the game and never looking back. The Penguins triumphed over the Flyers 7-0 with five of the seven goals coming from players who signed a contract with the Penguins during the offseason.
The Pens explosive offensive would remain firing in their home opener and the second game of their season where they took the game 6-5 in a battle against the Canadians. The Penguins looked to have the game all but won entering the third period, holding a 5-1 lead with five minutes left in the second period. But just as fans grew accustomed to in years past, the Penguins were unable to finish the game in regulation as they surrendered four straight including two in the final minute and a half of regulation. Thankfully, Tommy Novak was able to find the back mesh in overtime scoring his second goal of the night and improving the Penguins record to 2-0.
Unfortunately, inconsistency would follow them into their following game against the Jets where they lost, mainly due to the fact that their red hot offense was held to two goals, a cooldown that has followed the Penguins since, with the team failing to eclipse the three-goal mark in their five games since their battle against the Canadiens.
The losing would continue in Columbus, though the Penguins were able to steal one point behind an otherworldly performance from their 22-year-old Russian rookie netminder Sergei Murashov, who made 45 saves on 47 attempts by the Blue Jackets. Spectacular goaltending would follow the Penguins back to Pittsburgh, as comparatively veteran goalie (although he only has 62 NHL games under his belt) Artus Silovs would surrender only one goal on 25 shots.
The early roller coaster continued, as Pittsburgh dropped the first game to Chicago via a pair of goals Murashov would probably like to have back, ultimately falling 5-3.
The key to the Penguins season this year will be getting shots early and often to get their offense red hot, jumping out to a quick start, and playing with the same tenacity we have seen in glimpses so far. The Penguins have a unique situation, with hungry rookies and grizzled veterans, which may just be the recipe for a successful Stanley Cup run. The Penguins look to rebound tonight but have a tough task ahead of them as they face one of the odds-on favorites to win the Stanley Cup in the Colorado Avalanche at 9pm.