There were a lot of storylines heading into the Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins]' season opener against the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. For one, the respective head coaches of each squad - Dan Muse for Pittsburgh and Mike Sullivan for New York [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/dan-muse-and-mike-sullivan-set-to-begin-new-chapters-on-opposite-sides] - swapped places and organizations this offseason. Two teenagers in Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel were debuting on the same day for the Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/top-prospects-brunicke-kindel-confirmed-to-make-nhl-debuts-in-penguins-season-opener] - the first time that's happened since Kris Letang and Jordan Staal on Oct. 5, 2006. Also, the "Big Three" - Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - kicked off their record-shattering 20th season together [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/it-s-super-rare-looking-back-on-two-decades-of-the-big-three]. But, despite all the noise, Pittsburgh played a smooth, sound road game - and it paid off for them. The Penguins shut out the Rangers, 3-0, to begin their 2025-26 season, and they did it in clinical fashion. They limited high-danger chances against, and goaltender Arturs Silovs - who got the nod over veteran Tristan Jarry - stopped all 25 shots he faced. No one could have predicted that forwards Justin Brazeau and Blake Lizotte would carry the scoring for the Penguins, even with two of those goals being empty-netters. But perhaps the most impressive thing was that the Penguins took a 1-0 lead into the third period, and it didn't once feel like that lead was in danger of being taken from them. They outshot the Rangers, 12-5, in the third period, locking down and playing structurally sound hockey - something that's been largely lacking over the past several seasons in Pittsburgh. "I thought they, to a man, did a great job," Muse said. "I thought for the first game of the season, I just like the fact that you walk out of there, you get the job done. But you can look around the locker room and really feel like, to a man, everybody did something there to contribute tonight. If we start that way, and that's going to be the base that we're going to build off of, that's what I learned tonight. I'm excited about building with these guys." 2025-26 Season Predictions: THN Penguins' Edition [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/78076d01-8f2a-4e49-9db6-0b51dff4427f.jpeg] 2025-26 Season Predictions: THN Penguins' Edition It’s a new NHL season, and that means it’s time for a new <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">THN - Pittsburgh Penguins</a> season prediction piece! [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/2025-26-season-predictions-thn-penguins-edition] Here are some thoughts and observations from the Penguins' impressive season-opening win: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Let's start with the kids. First of all, it was a really cool thing to see Brunicke and Kindel take the ice in the opening lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/top-prospects-brunicke-kindel-confirmed-to-make-nhl-debuts-in-penguins-season-opener], along with three scrubs in Crosby, Malkin, and Letang (just kidding, of course). They actually had a pretty good opening shift and were pressuring in the offensive zone until the puck leaked out to the neutral zone and Brunicke took a penalty within the first minute. To start the game, it was clear that Brunicke took some time to adjust to the speed and rigors of playing in a regular season NHL game. But after the first period, the 19-year-old blueliner - only the second South African-born player to play in an NHL game - settled in. His reads progressively got better, he got more confident in joining the rush and in playing the offensive blue line, and his defensive zone presence improved. Brunicke was good in this game. But Kindel was outright impressive. The 18-year-old center was 80 percent in the faceoff circle, and he looked like an NHL regular from puck drop. He made a few passes and plays that were remniscent of a 10-year veteran. He was calm, composed, and confident with no panic in his game. He even generated a few chances for his line with Philip Tomasino and Tommy Novak, and he easily could have finished the evening with a few points on the board. There are very few young players in this league that I've seen debut - and I've seen many over the years - who looked like they belonged from the very start. It's so difficult to just jump into a game against an NHL lineup for the first time as a teenager and look the way Kindel did on Tuesday. I continue to be impressed by this kid. If he can keep this up for nine games, I'm not sure how he doesn't stick around [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/8-bold-penguins-predictions-for-the-2025-26-season]. But, that's just it: We'll see how he looks over a nine-game sample. Oct 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) tends net against Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/0514802e-dd24-43bf-8920-6853d7b222a0.jpeg] Oct 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) tends net against Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images - Another player who was impressive and committed to structure tonight was Erik Karlsson. "Karlsson" and "structure" don't typically go together in the same sentence. But, alas, he made very few mistakes - a missed outlet pass in the second period was one of them - and he looked akin to the 2022-23 version of Erik Karlsson that the Penguins thought they were acquiring from the start. I think he and Parker Wotherspoon could, potentially, be a really solid pairing for the Penguins this season. It's obviously very, very early, but based on Tuesday's game and some camp observations, Wotherspoon plays a very stay-at-home, structurally sound, low-risk, and low-event game. A very low-event and positionally sound defenseman is an ideal partner for one of the most high-event players in the league. We'll see how things shake out with them. But if Wotherspoon's "unnoticeability" makes Karlsson more noticeable in a good way - and allows him to do what he does best - that's all you can really ask for. - Malkin was very, very good in this game. He had his gallop. And his linemate, Brazeau, seemed to be in the right place at the right time with frequency. 'It's Super Rare': Looking Back On Two Decades Of The 'Big Three' [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c2bc70c6-73c7-40c5-926e-c6a055d9045d.jpeg] 'It's Super Rare': Looking Back On Two Decades Of The 'Big Three' On Oct. 5, 2006, a young, 19-year-old <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' defenseman named Kris Letang suited up for his NHL debut against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/it-s-super-rare-looking-back-on-two-decades-of-the-big-three] Anthony Mantha looked a bit rusty, but that's probably because he is. He'll need time to get back up to game speed after missing nearly the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL, so it's nothing to be concerned about at this point. I'm not yet sure what to make of this line, which has a minimum height requirement of 6-foot-5. But it seemed like they were using that size advantageously, and the fact that they were mostly deployed in offensive zone starts allowed them to play to their size and their strengths. I don't think this line sticks once Bryan Rust returns, and it certainly won't if Rutger McGroarty returns to the NHL roster. But, for now, it might just work. And Malkin deserves to have some consistency on his wings in what could be his final NHL season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/it-s-super-rare-looking-back-on-two-decades-of-the-big-three]. - Silovs was not tested to the extreme on Tuesday, and he was a bit shaky with his rebound control earlier on in this game. But, he locked in and made the saves he needed to. It was nothing flashy and nothing spectacular, but he got the job done. And he was calm and composed in the process. Honestly? This might just be what the Penguins need between the pipes this season. He won't be perfect, but he could very well be good enough - and he still has potential to rise above that. Muse said Jarry will get his early-season opportunities, too, but this was a really good way to start the season for Silovs. 3 Big Penguins' Storylines To Watch in 2025-26 [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/eee794ff-31db-440b-a8a7-1465265e35b8.jpeg] 3 Big Penguins' Storylines To Watch in 2025-26 With final NHL rosters submitted and the pre-season officially coming to a close, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will be an interesting team to watch for a plethora of reasons in 2025-26. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/3-big-penguins-storylines-to-watch-in-2025-26] - Many hockey people are projecting the Rangers to be a playoff team. To be honest, I just don't see it. Yes, they have, arguably, the best goaltender on the planet. Their top defensive pairing is quite good, and their top-six is formidable. But, beyond that? Things get less than ideal. The bottom-six leaves a lot to be desired, even with rookie Noah Laba in the picture. The bottom-four in their defense corps isn't all that great, either, and they also don't have a whole lot to look forward to in their prospect pipeline. On top of all of that, their team is aging, and its best player in Artemi Panarin is on an expiring contract. I'm not saying the Rangers won't make the playoffs. It's early, they have the goaltending, and Sullivan is a very, very good coach [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/latest-news/mike-sullivan-understands-the-magnitude-of-what-it-means-to-represent-the-rangers]. But I just don't think they have the talent or the depth to really make any kind of statement this season. I, for one, think this team needs a whole lot of tinkering in order to make the playoffs this season. If it stays the same - and they don't end up making the playoffs - I can't say I'd be surprised. Mike Sullivan Understands The Magnitude Of What It Means To Represent The Rangers [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/193f945a-9a26-4ec2-8f46-c6df87ef938a.jpeg] Mike Sullivan Understands The Magnitude Of What It Means To Represent The Rangers Mike Sullivan makes his way to The Big Apple in a unique season for the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a>. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/latest-news/mike-sullivan-understands-the-magnitude-of-what-it-means-to-represent-the-rangers] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
