There was energy and intent, though there wasn't a lot of cohesive play as the hopefuls for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings scrapped to a 3-2 Penguins win at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins scored a pair of pretty goals in the third period when Robby Fabbri slipped through three defenders on his path to the net, pulling the goalie out of position and chipping the puck in to the net as he was knocked to the ice.
And Philip Tomasino wore a defender as he scored a power play goal with a wrister from the slot at 9:54 of the third.
It was the kind of night that Tomasino needed to establish himself in the battle amongst the forwards. It was the type of game that showed Tomasino can grow and put his offensive talents to good use.
In short, it was a good night for Tomasino and his linemates Danton Heinen and Tommy Novak , each of whom had high points as the line created consistent offensive pressure.
Connor Dewar also flexed his scrapper muscles as he scored a wicked backhand goal and dropped the gloves with a much larger opponent. Dewar was all over the ice, and very much looked the part of a player trying to make the team–and who should.
The Penguins also buckled down defensively after an ugly first period.
The Penguins allowed just seven shots in the final 28:12 of the game after the planned swap of starting goalie Tristan Jarry for Arturs Silovs .
As coach Dan Muse noted, the game didn't start well. Just 14 minutes into the first period, Penguins fans were booing Jarry, as a bad turnover at center ice yielded a Detroit breakaway goal to John Leonard .
It would seem all parties were in mid-season form. Leonard was Detroit's lone scorer Friday as he finished the breakaway with a nifty shortside wrister from inside the left circle at 13:38, then beat Jarry with a wrister from 45 feet.
The latter wasn't a good goal.
Overall, Jarry stopped 11 of 13, including a flurry (or Fleury?) of shots within 10 feet. Detroit starter John Gibson was especially good, stuffing Tomasino, Novak, and Aidan McDonough when they had doorstep chances.
Gibson is going to make Detroit a playoff team, but I digress.
The second period may have provided a chance for fans who were still reeling and a little worn out from the day's activities with Marc-Andre Fleury at the UPMC Lemieux Complex to catch their breath.
And sports writers who were at the rink by 9 a.m., too.
The teams combined for 10 shots, and several of those were on a late push by the Penguins.
As with most preseason games, the inequity of talent within the team, and sometimes within the lines, creates more individual play and a less connective game. It can be harder to judge complementary players.
However, the team activated their defensemen against Detroit very well. When the team had its best offensive pushes, it started with the blue liners making a play, sometimes as simple as walking the blue line to some aggressive pinches to keep the play alive.
The Penguins didn't necessarily dress any "heavy" players, but they had plenty of sandpaper with forwards such as Blake Lizotte , Dewar, and Sam Poulin .
Yet it was Tomasino who reversed his soft play early in the game with some net-front scrums and a conscious decision to play between the dots once things got rough in the second period. The bloody scab across his nose said it was a game well played.
So, too, did Heinen.
While Heinen is often an afterthought when discussing the battle royal to be one of the 13 or 14 Penguins forwards on opening night, his NHL experience and versatility are a nice option when he's playing well.
Tactically, the Penguins are still playing a basic, vanilla game. There aren't many wrinkles, and the "system" is still less about personalization and more of a simple 1-2-2 "swinging gate" style that allows the second forechecker to jump forward when obviously warranted.
Through the sloppiness and naturally disjointed game, there were a handful of players who stood above the situation. However, those who did won't make general manager Kyle Dubas's and coach Dan Muse's choices on the blue line any easier.
Tomasino was pushed to the perimeter and stayed there in the first period. He had a couple of scoring chances, but also quickly lost his puck battles. However, Detroit made him mad, and his game changed. Tomasino became assertive and had a few more good scoring chances between the dots.
"I think his game kept getting better–him and his line, starting the second period," Muse said. "I thought it was pretty consistent there where they were getting chances. We were in the offensive zone more, and they weren't just chances., it was starting to get to the inside."
Dewar scored a Sidney Crosby-esque spinning backhand goal in the second period. He later fought 6-foot-4 Carson Bantle after Bantle delivered a hard check to Dewar's head. Dewar played his best scrappy, gritty game.
So, too, did Blake Lizotte, who set up several scoring chances after winning pucks along the wall.
He's just a big body who likes to go to the net, but also has some offensive instincts and can read the game. He had a few more scoring chances. It's not hard to project big things from the 25-year-old, 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. And then from there?
The lefty D-man moved well. He was noticeable both in the offensive zone, where he walked the blue line, distributed the puck well, and pinched low. That was the type of game he needed to stake a claim to the third-pairing. He was also capable in the defensive zone, appropriately defending the net but also making good breakouts.
Shea outplayed Ryan Graves , who left the game for a good chunk to get some stitches to his chin. However, Graves took another bad minor penalty. He played better Friday, but he's not yet playing well.
Remember that guy who got benched in Dallas last season? He's a distant memory. Sure, it's preseason. Sure, the competition is lesser, but Dumbas made a handful of sharp plays that denoted a defenseman capable of more than sheltered third-pairing minutes.
He looks good.
Dumba skated the puck well and moved it smartly through the neutral zone, including springing Heinen in the first period with a blue line to blue line pass.
There was a lot to like about Dumba's game.
Hallander just isn't breaking through. It's often hard to find him making an impact. He made a slick pass to Tomasino for the goal–the talent is there–but he needs to push it.
"I mean, what a pass … If he doesn't put that pass on my tape, I probably don't score," Tomasino said.
There were several plays that Novak created for others, and his rip from the slot hit the post. However, there are also frustrating parts of his game in the trenches where he is not good, including lost puck battles and being physically removed from the play.
If Novak gets better handling the tight pressure and physical play, he's a top-six center.
The good shined Friday.
The post Penguins Report Card Game 4: Scrappers Delight, Good & Bad Grades vs. Wings appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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