The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 to close the preseason and it was the leaders who did much of the heavy lifting.
The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out their preseason with a strong performance from a number of players, most notably their leaders.
It was an onslaught early and often as the Penguins trounced the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 to wrap up the preseason an even 3-3.
A final preseason game is often a final tune-up for guys, but Penguins stars looked to be in midseason form.
The score sheet couldn't hide from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel who all had three points each and Bryan Rust picked up a pair of goals, himself.
The duo of Crosby and Guentzel hasn’t missed a step and should be one of the top offensive pairings across the league.
The two found each other for the Penguins first two goals and took the wind out of the Sabres' sails immediately.
Head coach Mike Sullivan was proud of the play Crosby and Guentzel put on, saying they had a little extra in them to close out exhibition play.
“It’s just them doing their thing,” Sullivan said. “But I also think there was another level of intensity to their game tonight.”
Defenseman Ty Smith is a new arrival to Pittsburgh from the New Jersey Devils, and has played against Crosby and Guentzel quite a bit already.
Smith says it’s a nice change of pace sharing an ice with them as teammates rather than opponents.
“They’re unbelievable,” Smith said. “Being on the same team, wearing the same jersey, watching how creative they are together, it’s really nice to play with them.”
Smith also helped add to the scoring with a goal and assist of his own against Buffalo.
Despite Sullivan saying PO Joseph played his best game of the preseason, Smith may have locked up his roster spot with his outstanding performance.
Next up for the Penguins is the regular season; final roster moves need to be made and league requirements need to be met, but Pittsburgh’s stars are hungry to play real competition.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins