Malkin Hits Milestone, Penguins Defeat Red Wings, 6-3

Anthony Beauvillier scores two goals and Joel Blomqvist earns the win in his NHL debut

After a forgettable season opener on Wednesday against the New York Rangers, the Penguins came into Detroit on Thursday looking to rebound.

They did rebound, and they did it in convincing fashion.

The Penguins defeated the Red Wings, 6-3, and rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist stopped 32 of 35 Red Wing shots en route to his first win in his NHL debut. 

Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals and was part of a dominant first line for most of the night. Drew O'Connor, Marcus Pettersson, and Kevin Hayes also lit the lamp for the Penguins, and Erik Karlsson added a power-play goal. 

But the big story of the night was probably Evgeni Malkin, who registered two assists and earned his 800th career assist on Karlsson's goal. 

"He's such a passionate guy, and he's playing extremely hard," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought his line was much better tonight. It wasn't as high-risk. and they were more calculated with their decisions with the puck. When we can get 'G' to play that game and get him to stop a little bit more in the defensive zone and not play as much in motion, that's when he can have a really positive impact on the game. And I thought he did that tonight."

Here are my observations from tonight's game:

- What a vintage night from Malkin. He had his signature "gallop" tonight, and his line with Michael Bunting and Drew O'Connor seemed to be finding some chemistry.

It actually looked like he notched his 800th career assist earlier in the game, as O'Connor appeared to have potted his second goal of the game. But the goal was called back after Michael Bunting committed a hand pass that was missed the first time around.

So it was nice to see him follow up anyway and notch the assist on Karlsson's power play tally.

- Speaking of the power play, I thought the power play that the Penguins scored on looked pretty good. It was far more remniscent of the man advantage that we saw in the pre-season. 

There were short, crisp, high-percentage passes. Quick movement. No one guy held onto the puck for more than a few seconds. This is the exact recipe for success that the Penguins need on the power play, and if they can keep doing this, it could be a lethal unit.

I also really, really like Karlsson on the half-wall. He can score a lot of goals from there.

- Malkin's line was good tonight, but the standout line was definitely the top line.

Beauvillier was spectacular in this game. Not only did he score two goals, but he also used his north-south speed game to go straight to the net. Both of his goals happened right around the goal line. I wasn't convinced that he would remain in the lineup when Rust returns, but he's been very impressive in these first two games.

Crosby was his usual self, and Rakell made a nice play on the wall that led to Pettersson's goal. 

I think this is the look for the top-six that needs to remain intact until Rust returns. Once he does, I'm not really sure what they do if the top line continues to perform the way it did tonight. They were dominant.

- Ryan Graves and Pettersson had much better games tonight than they did against the Rangers. And I really want to praise the game Graves had.

He was contributing on the offensive attack. He made a few nice plays to break up chances in the defensive zone. He was strong on the wall and on the PK tonight. 

This is the kind of defenseman that the Penguins need Graves to be on a more consistent basis. He shows flashes of ability in this system, and tonight was a good example. Hopefully, he can build off of this performance.

- Blomqvist was very, very good in this game. 

He was poised and confident. He didn't look like a rookie in the slightest, as his positioning and rebound control were all pretty sound tonight. And he made a few huge stops, including a sprawling save near the end of the first period.

Blomqvist is so, so quick from post-to-post, and he also flashes a quick glove hand. I've said this already, but the Penguins have 12 games in 18 days to start the season. He is going to see some action, and I'm curious to see what happens if he continues to perform at a high level.

- The Penguins head to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Toronto games always make for an interesting story between Bunting and Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

It will also be interesting to see which goaltender gets the net on Saturday. My bet is on Jarry, but Blomqvist definitely played well enough to earn a second consecutive look. Again, the goaltending split is going to be interesting to watch in the coming weeks.

- This game really showed off the depth on this roster in comparison to the past few seasons. 

Obviously, the scoring from Beauvillier and Hayes was nice, but other guys who didn't show up on the scoresheet had strong outings as well. Cody Glass played another standout game for the Penguins, strong in all three zones and, especially, on the PK. The entire fourth line looks like it could work for the Penguins this season.

And even though the third line didn't produce anything tonight, they were strong on the forecheck. Once more chemistry and cohesion is built between Rutger McGroarty, Lars Eller, and Jesse Puljujarvi, they could be a threat. 

All in all, this is a better bottom-six than the Penguins have had. I think the fate of their season will likely come down to goaltending and defense more than it will the forward depth.