NHL Prospects Problem: Penguins' Prospect Stands Out in Sport 2 Win

After securing their first win on Friday towards Boston, Pittsburgh’s prospects continued to placed on a present towards Ottawa on Saturday afternoon.

They defeated the Senators’ prospects, 4-2, with targets from Jack Beck, Isaac Belliveau, and Vasily Ponomarev (PPG). Avery Hayes added an empty-netter on the finish to seal the win. Sergei Murashov performed the whole lot of the sport and secured the win.

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Regardless that 4 targets have been scored on this sport, it had a a lot totally different really feel. Whereas the sport towards Boston was an offensive clinic by the Penguins after the primary interval, this sport was a lot tighter-checking and featured a number of particular groups.

There have been nonetheless just a few standout gamers on this sport. Murashov, except for just a few shaky rebounds, stood tall. Ottawa had a number of situations of sustained zone time, and he regarded snug within the crease, studying performs properly and having sturdy lateral motion.

Related: NHL Prospects Challenge: Standouts and Thoughts from Game 1

Ville Koivunen additionally performed a strong sport. His playmaking smarts and passing expertise have been on show within the offensive zone, and he was sturdy on the forecheck. 2024 second-round draft choose Harrison Brunicke and ahead Tristan Broz stood out as properly.

However the one participant who distinguished himself above the others on this sport was Ponomarev.

He was named as a standout participant in Sport 1 as properly, even when he was a bit overshadowed by the performances of Rutger McGroarty and Broz. Nonetheless, Ponomarev was the sport’s finest participant on Saturday.

He was everywhere in the ice. He performed a powerful sport in all three zones in addition to on each particular groups items. Within the first interval – on the primary penalty kill of the sport for the Penguins – Ponomarev (no. 11) displayed good stick work and had some nice reads:

On the forecheck within the offensive zone, he was profitable puck battles left and proper. On this clip, he wins two of them and forces a turnover, all main as much as his personal scoring likelihood fed by Avery Hayes:

Lastly, he registered an influence play aim on the finish of the second interval after skating previous three Senators on a zone entry and making a slick cross to defenseman Emil Pieniniemi, which set in movement the play resulting in the aim. The aim made it 3-2 and put the Penguins forward for good:

Penguins’ followers are going to love this man. Along with the entire above examples, he took exception to a success on Jack Beck, who went down in the course of the follow-through on his second interval aim. His measurement is not something to write down residence about – he stands at 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 180 lbs – however he would not draw back from physicality with the intention to make performs and stick up for his teammates.

Related: Three Prospects Who Could Make the Penguins’ Roster in 2024-25

As we have talked about beforehand, it is best to take a number of these examples – and Ponomarev’s total excessive stage of play – with a grain of salt when contemplating the extent of competitors.

Nonetheless, if he continues to play with the identical ability, disruptiveness, and tenacity in coaching camp, the Penguins are going to have some powerful selections to make when it comes time for roster cuts.

Related: Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #33