Defenseman Marcus Pettersson discusses the Pittsburgh Penguins bounce back victory over the Colorado Avalanche. In his first offseason in charge of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas made a number of changes to the lineup that could eventually prove extremely beneficial. While the addition of Erik Karlsson will catch all of the attention, there is a different new face in the Penguins lineup that has already looked better than expected. Playing on the second line, Reilly Smith is already flourishing alongside Evgeni Malkin. Through seven games, Smith has notched four goals and two assists for six total points and the chemistry between the two becomes more evident every game. “I just try and keep an eye open for where he’s at,” Smith said on Malkin. “He doesn’t always look for the fastest lane to the net… just looking for open ice.” Smith went on to say when he plays with Malkin, he’s always looking for an open lane for himself and that sort of mindset was seen against the Colorado Avalanche. Malkin showed great patience heading in on a 2-on-1 with Smith who picked up his second goal of the game. Everyone figured Smith would be a useful addition, especially with Jason Zucker departing, but no one expected this much this quick, and playing with Malkin isn’t easy sometimes. The two are driving play together and Smith specifically has looked good on both sides of the ice. Aside from scoring a pair against the Avalanche, Smith played a big role on the perfect penalty kill. The Penguins were able to kill of five penalties, including a double-minor to Malkin in a crucial part of the game. Karlsson is going to take a ton of attention as an incoming Penguins, but Smith has a chance to be one of the best new additions on the team. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Key Penguins Scorer off To Slow Start [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/pittsburgh-penguins-jake-guentzel-slow-start] Penguins Third Line Forming Nice Chemistry [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-third-line-forming-chemistry] Shutout Carried Extra Momentum for Penguins Goalie [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/shutout-extra-momentum-pittsburgh-penguins-tristan-jarry] GAME RECAP: Penguins Stun Avalanche 4-0 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/game-recap-pittsburgh-penguins-stun-colorado-avalanche] Penguins End Avalanche's Perfect Start [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-end-colorado-avalanche-perfect-start] * undefined * undefined
