The Pittsburgh Penguins got off to a hot start, but there are both positives and negatives that can be taken from the three games.
Through their first three games of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a 2-0-1 record and plenty to be happy with despite a disappointing OT loss in Montreal.
The positives sure have outweighed the negatives for the Penguins through the first stretch of the season, but there are still winners and losers to be drawn.
Winners
The Core
All eyes were on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang heading into this past offseason; and no one adverted their attention as puck dropped on the regular season.
And the Penguins core didn’t blink as they have been among the teams most impressive players through three games.
Crosby received first star honors from the NHL for his six-point performance in a pair of games, eclipsing and passing multiple records along the way.
The captain may be leading by example, but Crosby has gotten off to one of the best starts of his career.
The second half of the two headed monster has been just as impressive; Malkin came into this season fully healthy and looking to stand out from the crowd.
So far, so good as Malkin has looked like one of the teams most confident players scoring three goals and an assist for four points through three games.
The final piece of the core has also been a productive player off the jump; Letang in his first three games has notched three assists and is already averaging almost 24 minutes of ice.
The expectations are high for all three of the Penguins core, and through three games they look like they should be able to meet those goals.
P.O. Joseph
Not that this is a surprise, but it didn’t seem like P.O. Joseph had a certain roster spot in the NHL as the season closed in.
Ty Smith seemed to stand out as the better player, but thanks to cap issues, he became the odd man out to be sent to the AHL.
Joseph has began making the most of his opportunity by already having a couple of points and looking strong defensively.
There isn’t much more you can ask for from the recent prospect graduate; his spot in the NHL still isn’t a guarantee, but if the chips fall the right way, he could be here for a long time.
Losers
Penalty Kill
It’s early in the year and there has already been improvements, but not having Teddy Blueger on the penalty kill has been a set back.
Missing Blueger is already a crutch for the PK, but the Penguins are also trying a new set of players on their units.
Newcomers Josh Archibald and Ryan Poehling are getting their time on the kill as well as Marcus Pettersson and Kasperi Kapanen.
The Penguins have been able to boast one of the league’s best penalty kill percentages over the past few years, but things haven’t been as fortunate so far this year.
Starting without Blueger, a new group of players, and let’s not forget trading away Zach Aston-Reese, the Penguins PK will need time to reach it’s full potential again.
Overtime
The whole reason the NHL instituted 3-on-3 overtime was to create entertaining, high event hockey.
What some teams do, including the Penguins, is attempted to slow the game down and wait for their opponents to make the first mistake.
While that can be a successful game plan, the Penguins never seem to find ways to win in extra time.
The Penguins ended last season will 11 overtime/shootout losses, down right not good enough.
Seven of those 11 losses may have happened in shootouts, but those are still missed opportunities during the overtime period.
Righting the overtime ship has already gotten off to a cold start with their OT loss in Montreal.
Those extra points can be vital, and in a stacked Eastern Conference, you are going to need every point you can get.
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