After the Penguins defeated the Red Wings by a score of 5-1 in Detroit on Monday, both teams dressed different lineups for the second half of the home-and-home in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Penguins fell, 2-1.
Rickard Rakell scored the only goal for the Penguins, with assists from 2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke and Evgeni Malkin. The team racked up a total of 44 shots on Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso, named the game’s First Star for his performance.
“I think we wish we could have put a couple more in the net,” said Rakell, who’s rekindled his chemistry with linemates Malkin and Michael Bunting, who had a strong finish to the 2023-24 campaign. “But I mean, we had some real good looks. Just something we’re gonna keep working on, and just try to get better.”
Getting on the scoresheet always feels good for Rakell, even though it’s preseason, especially considering how last season went for him from an injury and production standpoint.
“It just shows again that I need to be close to the net,” he said. “I feel like that’s where I score most of my goals. Just jumping on that rebound, great play by the other two. Yeah, I want more of that.”
Tristan Jarry played the full game, making 17 saves on a night that had a much different feel compared to his preseason debut on Sunday in Sudbury.
“Obviously, two totally polar opposite games,” he said. “You get one game with a lot of shots, and then one game with not as many shots. So I think it’s just adapting and making sure that you are ready and prepared for both, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Here’s what head coach Mike Sullivan had to say after the game.
You said this morning you wanted to get an extended look at Harrison. Curious what you saw from him tonight in his performance: “I thought he was terrific. He's making an impact. He's so active in the rush. He's active off the offensive blue line. He got a number of scoring chances. He was part of the goal. He's defending hard. We've really liked his progress throughout the course of camp. I think his confidence is growing. I thought he had another terrific game for us.”
How challenging is that jump, if you're going to go from the level Harrison’s at to potentially even getting a look at the NHL?: “It's a big jump. It's a big jump. Listen, we're really excited about Harry right now and where he's at, and the progress he's made and his potential moving forward. We're going to watch it throughout the course of camp and see where it goes. But for a young player and where he's at, to go from where he is to the NHL is a major jump. So, that's what makes this league the best league in the world. Playing that position, that's arguably the most difficult position to play. So, like I said, we're really excited about Harry's progress and potentially the impact that he can make here. He’s certainly made an impression on all of us. Let's just say that.”
Just your thoughts on the power play [which went 0-for-5, which included an abbreviated power play]. Obviously, a ton of quality movement, but wanted to ask in particular about the quickness and the quick strike component: “I thought it looked good tonight. We had a couple of moments where it was a struggle, but for the most part, I thought it looked really good. They had a lot of looks. The puck’s moving, they're changing the point of attack, they're attacking the low ice, and they're creating a lot of opportunities off of it. The speed on the entries is noticeable. When they come to that kind of speed on the entries, it's hard to stop. So, I thought there was a lot to like about it. I think they're making progress. They didn't score tonight, but they could have had a handful with some of the looks that they got.”
