After a rough road trip that saw them take just three out of eight points, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had a few days off to recuperate at home prior to their first contest of the year against the Washington Capitals before heading out to New Jersey for a game against the Devils, then back home again for the second game of a back-to-back hosting the Los Angeles Kings. This relatively little slide Pittsburgh is on has seen the team drop out of the top spot in the NHL, but they are (as of this writing) still tied for first in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division. If nothing else, this start has provided some fans with some cautious optimism that the team could actually be in contention for the Stanley Cup by the time spring rolls around.
If that is the case, it will be thanks to the unexpected pleasure of having a productive third line for the first time since 2017, bolstered by the impressive start by rookie Ben Kindel. Five goals and no assists (selfish bastard) in twelve games has forced the hand of general manager Kyle Dubas to keep Kindel in Pittsburgh and start the clock on his entry-level contract. He’s bringing more than just those basic stats though; Kindel’s line (typically with Tommy Novak and with one of Ville Koivunen, Filip Hallander or Philip Tomasino) has been feasting on its opponents on offense and defense, and they were particularly good against the Toronto Maple Leafs despite the team blowing its three goal lead. Kindel had his first multi-goal game of his brief career in the first two periods against Toronto, including one on the power-play. Kindel has been that good that he is already in the discussion for the Calder trophy as rookie of the year, which is amazing to think about for a Penguins team that has struggled to bring up a competent prospect of their own for years.
Kindel’s deployment is about to change. Like many teams, Pittsburgh is suffering through a bunch of injuries: already without Rutger McGroarty, Kevin Hayes, Jack St. Ivany, and Rickard Rakell, they have just added Filip Hallander, Justin Brazeau, Noel Acciari, and Tristan Jarry to the list. That would be a lot for any team to deal with (six forwards, including two of your top six/four of your top nine, and your starting goaltender), but a team with not-so-great depth like the Penguins will be very fortunate to not hit an even rougher patch then the modest skid with which they’re heading into tonight’s game. However, it’s a great opportunity for the likes of Kindel to be even more productive as he will now be on Sidney Crosby’s right wing. Maybe he’ll find it within himself to provide some assists to his captain! (Or Bryan Rust. Whatever works.)
The bigger story perhaps is the call-up of Sergei Murashov to replace Tristan Jarry. Murashov was just named the AHL’s goaltender of the month for his 5-1-0 record with a 1.68 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Even before that performance, he had very quickly put himself near the top of Pittsburgh’s prospects rankings, and within the next few games he will certainly make his first start for the Penguins. Given how well Jarry and Arturs Silovs have played thus far this season, he does have a high standard to meet, but if he brings the same performance from the AHL to the NHL, he will make a strong argument to supplant them before long.
After a surprisingly good season last year wherein they finished first in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals are currently tied for last in the Eastern Conference (although the difference between first and last is only six points). They are playing the second night of a back-to-back after playing the St. Louis Blues in Washington last night, and embarking on a four game road trip starting tonight. Theirs is presently a contrast of offense versus defense; whereas their goaltending overall is in the top five (led by Logan Thompson who is leading the NHL in most of the major goaltending categories), their offense hasn’t gotten much luck with its third-worst shooting percentage leading to scoring the second-fewest goals in the League. Most notably, Alex Ovechkin (parked at 899 career regular season goals) is suffering through his career-worst shooting percentage. So, naturally, (if he didn’t hit the 900 goal milestone last night), he will probably score tonight!
LGP