The Penguins head into Chicago looking for something they have not had much of yet this season: steady play.
Pittsburgh is 3-2-1 after a stretch that has already included two high-scoring wins, three rough losses and a low-scoring shootout victory over Dallas on Saturday. That 2-1 win felt like a reset after the messier nights, when turnovers piled up and goals followed. Now comes the first stop of a four-game road trip, with the Blackhawks waiting Tuesday night in Chicago.
Puck drop is set for just after 8 p.m. ET, after the best national anthem in sports.
The biggest name in the building is Connor Bedard, who is expected to make his season debut for Chicago. Bedard has sat out the first six games after offseason shoulder surgery. The Blackhawks also welcomed back Patrick Kane this season as part of their effort to jump-start a rebuild that has been stuck in place.
Chicago is coming off a 5-2 loss to Carolina on Saturday. The Hurricanes put the game away with three second-period goals, and although the Blackhawks briefly showed some life with two goals after falling behind 3-0, Carolina answered with a pair in the third to shut the door. Roman Kantserov scored his first NHL goal on a breakaway, Oliver Moore also scored, and Spencer Knight made 34 saves.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, got the kind of game it badly needed against Dallas. After several ugly outings built around poor puck management, the Penguins played a more conservative, low-event game and came away with the shootout win.
Connor Dewar scored the team’s only regulation goal, using a sweeping backhand from the slot that lifted a defender’s stick over Jake Oettinger. Arturs Silovs handled 24 of 25 shots and stopped two of four in the shootout.
Dan Muse will name his starting goalie after the morning skate, set for 12:30 E.T. If the Penguins stick with rotation, Sergei Murashov would be the likely choice. So far, though, Muse has given Silovs four of the six starts.
There’s also a chance Pittsburgh gets Andrei Kuzmenko back. Elmer Soderblom appears set to remain out, while Kuzmenko was a full participant in Monday’s practice and the team has an open roster spot.
Here’s how the lines are expected to look:
Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov-Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko-Ben Kindel-Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Nick Robertson
On defense:
Declan Carlile-Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard-Kaedan Korczak
Spencer Stastney-Kris Letang
Goalie: TBD
Chicago’s projected group:
Roman Kantserov-Connor Bedard-Patrick Kane
Tyler Bertuzzi-Anton Frondell-Teuvo Teravainen
Dominic Toninato-Oliver Moore-Ryan Donato
Cole Smith-Ryan Greene-Jordan Greenway
On defense:
Bo Byram-Artyom Levshunov
Alex Vlasic-Ian Cole
Wyatt Kaiser-Sam Rinzel
Goalie: Spencer Knight, expected per Chicago Hockey Now.
Special teams tell part of the story, too. Pittsburgh’s power play is clicking at 20% and ranks 16th, while its penalty kill has been excellent at 94.1%, second in the league. Chicago’s power play sits at 7.1%, last in the NHL, and its penalty kill is 68.8%, which ranks 27th.
The Penguins have already handled Chicago once last season, going 2-0-0 while outscoring the Blackhawks 13-5. They’ve also picked up points in eight of their last 11 games, going 7-3-1 over that stretch.
Bryan Rust has been especially effective against the Blackhawks, collecting 14 points in 14 career games and points in five straight against them. Sam Girard has picked up points in each of Pittsburgh’s three road games this season, all assists.
Declan Carlile leads the Penguins with 15 blocked shots, a total that ties him for ninth in the NHL. Murashov enters with a .939 save percentage after two starts.
In Other News...
Penguins Road Trip Is Turning Up The Pressure On Key Roster Battles
The Penguins road trip rolls on with tests against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, and the trip is arriving at just the right time to sharpen a few roster questions. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has given the organization some encouragement with strong recent road wins, but the NHL club is still sorting through who can steady things at this level, especially after Sergei Murashovs costly mistake against the Chicago Blackhawks put a spotlight on the margin for error.
Ville Koivunen remains one of the names worth watching as the Penguins keep evaluating the bottom and middle of the lineup, and his place is not locked in as the games get tougher. The addition of Ryan Johnson was meant to help fortify the blue line, so these next stops on the trip should tell a lot about how the team wants to balance development, depth and immediate needs as the roster battle continues. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Still Searching For Answers As Power Play Problems Grow
The Penguins power play has gone cold at an awkward time, sliding to 0-for-16 after a strong start and forcing the club to devote a chunk of practice in Chicago to cleaning it up. Dan Muse spent the session working through adjustments, a sign that the issue has become more than a short-term blip and is now something the coaching staff feels it has to address directly.
Muse also used the day to tinker with the broader lineup picture, including giving Elmer Soderblom a regular place in the fourth-line mix after what the staff has seen from him in game action. The changes suggest Pittsburgh is looking for a little more rhythm and balance across its forward groups while it searches for a power-play spark, but the exact combinations Muse settles on will be worth watching going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Erik Karlsson Just Became A Penguins Question Fans Cant Ignore
Erik Karlsson has quickly become one of the more interesting names hanging over the Penguins this season, not because of anything he has done on the ice in Pittsburgh, but because of where the team stands and what comes next. The veteran defenseman has been viewed as a potential trade candidate in a league where contenders always keep an eye on mobile, high-end blue liners, and his situation only gets more layered with the Penguins off to a 3-3-1 start and sitting fourth in their division.
For the Penguins, the question is less about whether Karlsson still matters and more about what kind of team they will be by the time the market starts to tighten. If Pittsburgh stays in the thick of the playoff chase, there is a path for this to remain a hockey decision rather than a transaction one. But if the standings slide and the deadline picture changes, Karlsson becomes the kind of storyline that can follow a club for months before reaching a resolution. [Read more 🡒]