Pittsburgh makes a statement
A year ago the Philadelphia Flyers knocked the Penguins out of the first round in six games. On Wednesday night, Pittsburgh answered with a 7-0 opening-night shutout.
Nick Robertson scored twice in his Penguins debut. Filip Hallander added a goal and two assists, while Hendrix Lapierre, Ville Koivunen, Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov each found the net. Fourteen Pittsburgh skaters finished with at least one point, a sign of how evenly the damage was spread. In goal, Arturs Silovs stopped all 19 shots he faced.
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A forgettable debut for Philadelphia
Dan Vladar took the brunt of it, allowing all seven goals on 38 shots. Noel Acciari, playing his first game for the Flyers after three seasons in Pittsburgh, finished minus-3 against his former team.
Shot volume tells the story. Pittsburgh put 38 shots on Vladar while Silovs saw only 19, and the gap showed up on the scoreboard in the kind of lopsided result that is rare on opening night, when most teams are still sorting out lines and systems.
What it means early
One game proves little, and the Flyers will get a chance to respond quickly. Still, the Penguins used the night to show depth beyond the usual names. Malkin scoring is expected. Koivunen, Lapierre and Chinakhov all contributing, plus a new arrival like Robertson announcing himself, is the kind of balance Pittsburgh needs over a long season.
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