Snap Shots: Preseason Game 2
WORKFLOW
Sam Poulin-Radim Zohorna-Kasperi Kapanen
Dominik Simon-Michael Chaput-Valterri Puustinen
Kasper Bjorkqvist-Drew O'Connor-Nathan Legare
Kyle Olson-Jordy Bellerive-Anthony Angello
Marcus Pettersson-Will Reilly
Niclas Almari-Taylor Fedun
Matt Bartkowski-Mitch Reinke
Casey DeSmith
Louis Domingue
THOUGHTS, MUSINGS AND OBSERVATIONS
- Both goalies were reallygood in this game. They each played half, with DeSmith stopping all 11 shots he faced in the first 30:30 of play, and Domingue allowing just one goal on 21 shots in the remainder of the contest.
First of all, it's great to have DeSmith back healthy after he was forced to miss the end of the regular season and the entire postseason due to a core muscle injury, which required offseason surgery. And he looked like he didn't miss a beat despite coming off of an injury, as he was sharp right from the get-go and came up with some athletic saves. DeSmith played a big role in the Penguins' success last year as part of Pittsburgh's goalie tandem with Tristan Jarry, going 11-7 in 20 appearances, and will be looking to do more of the same this year.
"I think the way this league has evolved, most teams require two goaltenders," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "There aren't too many teams that have one goalie who goes wire to wire anymore. Casey's played a lot of important games for us in the time we've had him as a Pittsburgh Penguin. He was a big part of the regular season last year when he was healthy, and that tandem was effective for us. To have two that are performing well I think is critical to a team's ability to have success in this league."
And second of all, it's great to have some much-needed depth at the goalie position with the addition of Domingue. The Penguins signed the 29-year-old netminder as a free agent this summer because they believe he has some upside - as he's shown flashes of brilliance at the NHL level - and feel like they can potentially put him in the lineup to help them win hockey games.
That's what Domingue did today, despite the Sabres throwing 15 shots at him in the third period as they pressed for the equalizer. Buffalo had a couple of particuarly good scoring chances early, and Domingue came up with some dazzling stops to preserve the Penguins' one-goal lead.
"I was impressed with Louis Domingue tonight," Sullivan said. "I thought he made some big saves down the stretch. Buffalo really pushed in that third period and they had a couple high-quality chances. I thought Louis did a real nice job. He made some real big saves."
-I loved what I saw from Simon, who's back for his second stint with Pittsburgh after spending last season in the Calgary Flames organization following five years with the Penguins. Simon had been hoping to return to Pittsburgh in some capacity, and said he wanted to improve and get better in case that chance ever came along. It did, and he did.
"I thought he had a good game tonight," Sullivan said. "He scored a nice goal. But he did a lot more than that. I just think he's one of the stiffer players we have on the puck. It's tough to get it off him. I think that's part of what helps him with whoever we choose to put him with on any given night. That line tends to get some offensive zone time because they're strong on the puck, and it starts with him."
- Chaput was one of the players who benefited from that. Penguins general manager Ron Hextall had mentioned him by name when talking about players who could potentially have a bigger opportunity with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out to start the year. And the 29-year-old forward, who signed as a free agent this summer, certainly took advantage of the opportunity to show what he could do in his first game wearing a Penguins sweater.
Chaput factored in on both Pittsburgh goals, earning the secondary assist on Simon's tally in the first period and scoring one of his own in the second.
- There were a few big men in the lineup for Pittsburgh, including Radim Zohorna, Anthony Angello and Drew O'Connor. I thought O'Connor, 23, stood out the most. The second-year forward has been noticeable all camp after a summer of hard work.
After appearing in 10 games with Pittsburgh last season after signing with the Penguins as a free agent out of Dartmouth, O'Connor returned to New England and made some big changes, hoping for some big payoffs. He cut out all gluten and dairy in his diet and worked really hard in the gym to put on some weight and get faster, and it definitely shows. The big forward looks muchquicker than he did last season.
At one point, he absolutely barreled in on the forecheck like a bat out of you know where, and easily separated his man from the puck. O'Connor said creating turnovers and making plays is a big part of his game, but he thought he relied on his stick too much last year. So a big focus for him this year is being a little more physical and using his body more, and he was able to do that tonight.
Sullivan feels like O'Connor has taken a significant stride, saying he's a lot more confident. Sullivan also liked how O'Connor, who played wing in those 10 NHL games but is capable of playing center, went 10-4 in the faceoff dot for a 71% success rate.
"I think he's playing with more conviction, and he's not as hesitant," Sullivan said. "He's more assertive. Drew's an intriguing player because he has good size, he can really skate and he can shoot the puck. He's strong on the puck and he has the ability to play both positions. I thought he had a real good game tonight."
