Penguins shut out by Rangers in ugly season opener

Evgeni Malkin has plenty of perspective as an NHLer.

Like 19 years’ worth of perspective.

So he knows how much gravity one contest out of an 82-game schedule should command.

And he’s fully aware the Penguins will have 81 more chances to correct all of what went wrong in their season opener on Wednesday, a 6-0 bludgeoning at the hands of the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena.

“It’s (a) loss,’ Malkin said. “If we lost 2-0, it doesn’t matter. We wait (through a) long (offseason) and we think we’re ready to play. But we need to play better. Now it’s real games. Not (preseason). It’s a tough loss. I hope (Thursday) we play better. I hope (for a) long season. Stay together. It’s (the) only way. We played against a good team, the Rangers. It’s (a) great team. But stay together.

“Be ready (Thursday). Go to Detroit, change everything.”

A lot of change will be required for their second game, a road contest against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

With their intricately reconfigured and highly scrutinized power play going 0 for 3 (with a short-handed goal against) as well as goaltender Tristan Jarry getting perforated like a train ticket, the 2024-25 Penguins already look a lot like the 2023-24 squad that stumbled for the better part of seven months.

Captain Sidney Crosby immediately shut down any connection to the Penguins’ disappointing play last season.

“This has nothing to do with last year,” Crosby said. “It’s a matter of early on in the season, we get a little adversity and we didn’t find a way to stick with our game. We tried to get it all back at once and we found out the hard way.”

Jarry had a hard time most of the night as his ambitions of triumphantly rebounding from being demoted to the unstated backup goaltender role late last season were snuffed out in blunt fashion.

“It is disappointing,” Jarry said. “We had a long offseason. It really wasn’t the offseason that we wanted. We were so close to making (the playoffs) last year. It’s a new year. Just being able to start off the right foot would have really helped us.

“But obviously we have to work a little harder. I have to work a little harder myself.”

The Rangers went to work early when forward Sam Carrick opened the scoring 2:24 in.

Accepting a pass at the right point of the offensive zone, Rangers defenseman and longtime Penguins nemesis Jacob Trouba chucked a wrister toward the cage. Battling with Penguins defenseman Kris Letang above the crease, Carrick redirected the puck with his stick to the far side of the crease where it clunked off the left leg of Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and behind Jarry. Trouba and forward Johnny Brodzinski tallied assists.

The Rangers appeared to double their lead at 9:48 of the first period, but a would-be goal by forward Will Cuylle was nullified after the Penguins issued a successful coach’s challenge, citing the sequence to be offside.

A valid goal was scored by Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere at 17:23 of the opening frame.

After stripping Eller of a puck in the Rangers’ zone, forward Artemi Panarin backhand flipped it to the neutral zone, allowing Lafreniere to surge into the Penguins’ zone. As defenseman Marcus Pettersson raced back and slid on a failed attempt to knock the puck away, Lafreniere patiently waited for his opportunity and snapped a wrister through Jarry’s five hole. The lone assist went to Panarin.

“If I make a save on (Lafreniere), it at least helps the guys stay in it,” Jarry said.

Rangers forward Chris Kreider put his team up by three late in the period at the 19:48 mark by cleaning up a rebound on a goalmouth scramble.

With the Penguins struggling to even threaten to steal the puck from the dominant visitors, Trouba blasted a one-timer from above the left circle. Jarry made a save with his left leg but allowed a rebound above the crease. With Crosby and linemate Drew O’Connor slow to react, Kreider found fertile real estate to lift a wrister over a scrambling Jarry. Trouba and former Penguins forward Reilly Smith registered assists.

Forward Filip Chytil put the Rangers up 4-0 9:39 into the second period.

Racing up the right wing into the offensive zone, Cuylle tried to go from his backhand to his forehand and fire a wrister but lost it due to pressure from Pettersson. As Grzelcyk overskated the sequence, Chytil corralled the puck in the right circle and snapped a wrister to the far side that glanced off Jarry’s blocker and into the cage. Cuylle claimed the only assist.

Kreider delivered the coup de grace at 11:35 of the third period with a short-handed goal on a breakaway after tipping a puck past Letang at the New York blue line and racing in on net. There were no assists.

The Penguins led the NHL in short-handed goals allowed last season with 12. Their retrofitted power play looked like the lemon they drove for most of 2023-24.

During the preseason, the Penguins were 6 for 21 (28.6%) with the man advantage in seven contests.

“Not great,” Malkin said. “They score (a) goal short-handed. We need (to) play the same, stay the same way as practice. Move (the) puck quickly, one-touch. We know they play hard, every corner, behind the net, blue line. They have great forwards. We watched video before the game. We know how they play, but we need to play better, for sure. We’ll have a couple of power-play (chances). If we score one, maybe we’re back. The power play, it’s huge. We need to forget this game, for sure, and go (Thursday).”

Forward Vince Trocheck, an Upper St. Clair native, put the Rangers up by a touchdown at 16:59 of the final frame.

Chasing down a puck in the Penguins’ left corner, Panarin flicked a backhand pass to the low hashmarks for Lafreniere, who ripped a wrister on net. Jarry made the initial save but allowed a rebound to the right of the crease which Trocheck cleaned up with a forehand shot. Lafreniere and Panarin had assists.

Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin stopped all 29 shots he faced.

Jarry made 35 saves on 41 shots in the defeat.

Coach Mike Sullivan maintained confidence in his scrutinized goaltender.

“He responded really well after the first,” Sullivan said. “He made some big saves in the second and third period. The reality is, is that’s the world we all live in. We’ve got to find a way to focus on the game and focus on the details of your own respective game. I’m confident (Jarry) will do that.”

Even after being trampled by the Rangers, the Penguins appear confident they won’t have a repeat performance against the Red Wings on Thursday.

“We fought back, but nothing worked tonight,” Malkin said. “All four lines not play great. The whole team lost. We have to focus (Thursday). It’s back-to-back games. Tough loss. We need (to) talk a little bit (Thursday) and play better for sure.”

Notes:

• The Rangers’ last shutout of the Penguins was a 1-0 win at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 22, 2023. Goaltender Jonathan Quick made 32 saves in the victory.

• The last time the Penguins were shut out in a season opener was a 3-0 road loss to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 8, 2015. Goaltender Antti Niemi made 37 saves in the victory. Forward Phil Kessel made his debut for the Penguins in this contest.

• Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty made his NHL debut. He logged 12:20 of ice time on 17 shifts and had one shot. He was also 0 for 1 on faceoffs.

• McGroarty became the 23rd player to wear No. 2 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Leo Boivin, Duane Rupp, Bob Paradise, Ed Van Impe, Tom Edur, Tom Bladon, Pat Price, Giles Lupien, Brian Lundberg, Phil Bourque, Greg Fox, Joe McDonnell, Todd Charlesworth, Chris Dahlquist, Jim Paek, Chris Tamer, Josef Melichar, Hal Gill, Nate Guenin, Matt Niskanen, Adam Clendening, Chad Ruhwedel

• Forwards Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier as well as Grzelcyk all made their Penguins debuts.

• Hayes became the ninth player to wear No. 13 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Jim Hamilton, Charlie Simmer, Alex Goligoski, Bill Guerin, Nick Spaling, Nick Bonino, Brandon Tanev, Vinnie Hinostroza

• Glass became the 23rd player to wear No. 19 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Bob Rivard, Jean Pronovost, Dale Tallon, Greg Sheppard, Rick MacLeish, Grant Sasser, Arto Javananien, Willy Lindstrom, Dave McLlwain, Randy Gilhen, Bryan Trottier, Vladimir Vujtek, Rico Fata, Ramzi Abid, Ryan Whitney, Mike Comrie, Jason Williams, Beau Bennett, Derick Brassard, Jared McCann, Alex Nylander, Reilly Smith

• Grzelcyk became the 28th player to wear No. 24 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Garry Swain, Rod Zaine, Tim Horton, Eddie Shack, Jean Guy Legace, Larry Bignell, Mario Faubert, Don Awrey, Bob Paradise, Pat Hughes, Marc Chorney, Pat Graham, Rob Garner, Ted Bulley, Kevin McCarthy, Roger Belanger, Dwight Mathiasen, Troy Loney, Doug Brown, lan Moran, Lyle Odelein, Kris Beech, Matt Cooke, Bobby Farnham, Cameron Gaunce, Dominik Kahun, Ty Smith

• Beauvillier became the fifth player to wear No. 72 for the Penguins. His predecessors:

Jeff Christian, Eric Meloche, Alex Kovalev, Patric Hornqvist

• Panarin continues to torch the Penguins. In 31 career games against the Penguins, Panarin now has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists).

• Penguins forward Valtteri Puustinen and defenseman Ryan Shea were healthy scratches.

• Former Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was a healthy scratch for the Rangers.

• Prior to the game, a ceremony was held in recognition of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau. Both men were killed by an alleged drunk driver in August.