Penguins Defeat Senators in 'Hockeyville' Preseason Showdown

What an evening it was for Elliot Lake, for youth hockey, and for Pittsburgh’s massive weapons.

Evgeni Malkin netted a hat trick, and Sidney Crosby added two objectives, because the Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators, 5-2, through the annual Kraft “Hockeyville” preseason showdown that befell in Sudbury, Ontario this 12 months.

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The Senators have been the higher crew within the earlygoing, they usually took a 2-1 lead heading into the second interval. However the Penguins took over through the second interval, scoring 4 unanswered objectives to shut out the sport.

Goaltender Filip Larsson relieved Tristan Jarry halfway by means of the second interval and stopped each Senators’ shot he confronted.

Listed below are some ideas, notes, and observations from tonight’s sport.

– Blake Lizotte left the sport within the very early minutes of the primary interval and didn’t return. It was introduced by the Penguins mid-game that he sustained an upper-body damage.

He was slated to play alongside Malkin and Rickard Rakell, and Michael Bunting bumped as much as that line in his absence.

Hopefully, holding him out was a precautionary factor and nothing extra. If not, the ahead battle for roster spots may get an entire lot extra fascinating down the stretch run in coaching camp.

– He’s solely 18 years previous and, presumably, headed for junior hockey. However Harrison Brunicke could quietly be incomes himself a nine-game trial run with this crew.

Brunicke was paired alongside Marcus Pettersson on this sport. He had a tough time on the primary Ottawa objective, wanting a little bit bit disjointed and discovering himself means out of place.

However after that, Brunicke was locked in. He overcommitted just a few occasions, however he displayed nice imaginative and prescient and sprung just a few good breakout passes, made a strong play to assist forestall a breakaway within the third, and obtained the puck by means of site visitors and to the web a number of occasions within the offensive zone.

Related: Questions Emerge Regarding Karlsson, Penguins’ Blue Line

As I’ve mentioned, Erik Karlsson’s damage scenario will likely be an fascinating one to observe. If Karlsson is not able to go, it isn’t out of the realm of risk that Brunicke will get these 9 video games. And – actually – he is earned it in coaching camp.

He is been terrific, and he appears like he belongs taking part in in opposition to NHL competitors.

– Owen Pickering was additionally good on this sport. He made just a few good performs defensively, even just a few occasions in restoration for overcommitting.

However I believe the place Pickering actually stands out is within the offensive zone. He simply appears snug manning the blue line when the Penguins are biking the puck, and – like Brunicke – he did not look misplaced in any respect in opposition to NHL expertise.

He had a little bit of a shaky begin to camp, however he is actually began to spherical out his sport in a giant means because the preseason has progressed.

– It’s early, and that is the primary time the primary unit has seen precise in-game motion. However the energy play did register two objectives tonight.

Each objectives have been a little bit chippy, and the Penguins did not preserve a ton of possession within the offensive zone. However it does appear like – at the very least, within the early levels – that there’s a bit extra puck and foot motion on the facility play than there was final season.

We’ll see how issues go the remainder of camp and into the season, but when that continues, it could solely be a very good factor for the Penguins.

– Malkin’s line spent a variety of the primary interval and a few change within the defensive zone, and you could possibly inform they have been shaking off some rust all through the sport. However they seemed higher as the sport went on.

This was the Penguins’ greatest line tonight. Malkin recorded a hat trick. Rakell hit iron within the third off a depraved wrister and had a number of attractiveness on this sport. Bunting did his normal enterprise under the objective line and on the internet entrance.

This might be an excellent line for the Penguins this season.

– I like Anthony Beauvillier on Crosby’s line. He is a very good forechecker, he has some pace, and he has fairly good instincts within the offensive zone.

Related: Penguins Fall to Sabres in Second Preseason Matchup

Greater than probably, Drew O’Connor will start the season alongside Crosby and Bryan Rust. However I believe that left wing place will likely be a carousel for lots of the season, and Beauvillier has proven he’s completely able to being a serviceable participant subsequent to 87.

– Jarry seemed a little bit shaky on this sport, particularly within the first interval. However it’s only the preseason, and he appeared to quiet down a bit within the second earlier than he was relieved by Larsson.

Larsson, nonetheless, was locked in. He stopped each Senators’ shot he confronted and survived fairly heavy stress by the Sens on the finish of each the second and the third.

I believe he’ll find yourself being Blomqvist’s backup in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and that prospect Sergei Murashov is prone to begin video games in Wheeling.

– Cody Glass virtually scored a shorthanded objective at the moment, and he was noticeable all night time lengthy. His skating is an unlimited enchancment over most of what the Penguins have had the previous couple of seasons within the bottom-six, and he places himself in nice place to create scoring possibilities and make performs within the offensive zone.

Glass did not have a very spectacular begin to camp, however like Jesse Puljujarvi, he has actually began to face out extra because the preseason has progressed.

It is going to be fascinating to see who on the NHL roster leads to the press field, as a result of proper now, I do not assume there is a clear reply.

Related: New Penguins’ Forward Aims to Make Impression

– Matt Grzelcyk made a pleasant play to stop a two-on-one through the four-on-four within the third interval. He beat each Senators to the unfastened puck on the boards and poked it out of hazard, again towards the Senators’ zone.

General, I like what I’ve seen from Grzeclyk to date. It is evident that he’ll want a little bit of time to regulate to the Penguins’ system, however he and Letang appear to be working fairly nicely collectively to date.

– This sport obtained a little bit bit scrappy.

Defenseman Dan Renouf obtained concerned with Senators captain Brady Tkachuk within the second interval. Then, within the third, Sam Poulin hit Tim Stutzle and, later, obtained caught up with Zack MacEwen whereas Boko Imama and Jan Jenik fought.

This is not the type of stuff one sometimes witnesses in a preseason matchup, however there was a variety of delight concerned on this sport.

– On that observe, what a cool occasion “Hockeyville” is. It is nice for youth hockey, the gamers find it irresistible, and it brings collectively a whole neighborhood that will get to witness the perfect within the sport play at their hometown rink.

I hope the NHL continues to do that for a few years. The vitality round the entire thing is superior.

– Following the journey debacle that postponed the competition in opposition to Detroit on Saturday, the Penguins play 5 preseason video games in six days, together with the make-up sport in Detroit on Monday.

That is a variety of video games in a brief time frame. Initially, cuts have been most likely anticipated initially of the week. Nonetheless, the Penguins will want extra our bodies to cowl the schedule this week, so I do not count on any giant cuts till the tip of coaching camp.

Subsequently, maintain a pointy eye on the video games this week. Some guys nonetheless have time to make themselves stand out and, in flip, make roster decisions harder for the group.

Related: Penguins Training Camp Day 6: A Tale of Two Teams, Roster Cut to 52