Here are some of my observations from the second day of the Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp.
The Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their second of three full training camp practices on Friday.
Group B took the ice first this time, featuring Evgeni Malkin, Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, Ben Kindel, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Sergei Murashov, Joel Blomqvist, and Elmer Soderblom. Soderblom was promoted after spending time with Group C on Thursday because he misread the schedule.
Group A was the second group and featured Sidney Crosby, Nick Robertson, Rickard Rakell, Filip Hallander, Sam Girard, Kaedan Korczak, Arturs Silovs, Taylor Gauthier, etc. Finally, Group C was the third group, and it had most of the other prospects, including Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck.
Here's a look at who stood out during all three of these practices.
Group B
- Sergei Murashov had some rough moments during Thursday's practice and was out-dueled by Joel Blomqvist. That was not the case on Friday. He was locked in from the moment he stepped on the ice and made some ridiculous saves, including one on Ilya Solovyov.
Murashov robbed Solovyov with his paddle during a 2v2 drill before robbing Ben Kindel with his skate just a few moments later. It came off an outrageous pass from Andrei Kuzmenko.
Murashov was moving well, and his rebound control was stellar. It's the exact type of day you want to see from him.
- Kuzmenko was paired with Kindel in drills (and during line rushes with Bryan Rust), and there's definitely some chemistry there. Kuzmenko and Kindel read off one another well and held their own against Malkin and Chinakhov in 2v2 drills.
I also like the idea of Rust on a line with Kuzmenko and Kindel. It allows the Penguins to spread the wealth more and give Kindel another scoring winger. We'll see if that sticks on Saturday and during preseason games.
- It was another good day for Rutger McGroarty, who spent a lot of time with Blake Lizotte. The coaching staff is giving him ample opportunities to impress during camp, and he is running with them.
Group A
- Robertson once again skated on the top line with Crosby and Rakell, and didn't look out of place. He scored some nice goals during drills, showcasing his shot.
His goal total has increased in each of the previous three seasons, and don't be surprised if it rises again this year.
- The group was split up during part of the session, with one side headlining the expected NHL regulars and the other with the likely AHL players.
Bill Zonnon, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, and Tomas Galvas were in the AHL group, while Owen Pickering, Filip Hallander, and Harrison Brunicke were in the NHL group. It's something to monitor heading into Saturday.
- Speaking of Brunicke, he was paired with Pickering throughout practice and looked sharp. He skated methodically and defended well in his own zone. I still think it'll be tough for him to crack the roster, but he's had a good camp so far.
- It was another quiet day for Galvas, but that's not a bad thing. He's still getting acclimated to everything after playing really well in the Prospect Tournament last week.
It's highly likely he'll return to Czechia once camp is over, which makes a ton of sense since he still needs to develop and bulk up a bit.
Group C
- Markus Ruck is way more of a playmaker, but I'd love to see him utilize his release more with Medicine Hat this year. It's really good, and he was blowing the puck past goaltenders Matvei Nikonovich and Collin Delia during the 90-minute session.
- Maleek McGowan can fly. He's such a smooth skater, and it was fun to watch him walk the blue line and distribute the puck. He also wasn't afraid to rip the puck and scored a sweet top-shelf goal from the point.
- The Penguins will return to training camp on Saturday, then have an off day on Sunday. The first practice will start again at 8:45 a.m. ET.
If you're thinking of attending, get here early because parking spots fill up fast.
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