Penguins Grades: Changes Make Team Better, Here’s What Worked

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Penguins Grades: Changes Make Team Better, Here’s What Worked

Penguins Grades: Changes Make Team Better, Here's What Worked — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dan Kingerski

Sun, Oct 11, 2026 ·

8 min read

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It was not the best game the Pittsburgh Penguins will play this season, but reversing a jaw-dropping skid of three games featuring some of the worst hockey they will play, with a professional, clean performance, was itself a step forward.

In fact, the Penguins were able to strip away the ghastly, putrid, ugly, laughable mistakes that have swarmed their recent performances for a straightforward, clean 2-1 shootout win over the Dallas Stars Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.

Good things happen when a team stops giving away the puck. Shocking, eh?

The Penguins' game started poorly as Erik Karlsson pinched to disrupt the breakout. Captain Sidney Crosby covered for him, but defense partner Declan Carlile didn't read the oncoming rush, and Dallas center Wyatt Johnston breezed by for an unabated chance.

Goalie Arturs Silovs held his ground, and Johnston missed the net. However, the Penguins settled, and the snowball effect that has been ever present for the last 10-plus periods quickly melted.

Johnston's shot was one of just two Dallas high-danger chances in the first two periods, and the Penguins limited Dallas to just four overall, according to NaturalStatTrick.com .

And within that statistic lies the heart of the Penguins' effort Saturday. Though players and coach had slightly differing takes and terminology, the end result was the same. The Penguins submitted a vastly cleaner effort that allowed coach Dan Muse to breathe easier, even if it was a shootout win.

The question posed, given the mess of the previous games, was simple: Did the coach simplify the game plan?

"I don't know if 'simplify' is the word I would use. I think simplify means you're not using your brains at all, and you're just throwing pucks in," Muse said. "I think we were closer together at the right times. We were supporting each other better. I thought our structure was better, and so all that leads to a more connected brand and (being) predictable to where we're going to be. And I think we also made better decisions too, which allowed us to be in the offensive zone more."

The shots were only 10-7 for the Dallas Stars midway through the second period, but the larger point was that the Penguins remained buttoned up. They traded mistakes for puck possession, and waited for opportunity rather than forcing it. The game might have drawn a few yawns because the teams combined for only 15 high-danger scoring chances, and only a few of those were enough to make observers lean forward, but it was a badly needed win for a young season already teetering.

For newly acquired defenseman Spencer Stastney , he had a lot to absorb in less than 36 hours. He got his first look at the systems package Saturday and was in the lineup Saturday night. His job was not to shine, but to simply play.

"Yeah, I mean, I just watched the last game as I just got here, but no, I think there was emphasis on just playing good (in the) D zone, good coverage in our own end, and I think we played really well," Stastney said. "We made smart decisions and found a way to win in the end."

The insertions of Soderblom and Stastney were not groundbreaking, nor were they surprising. Stastney's elementary game raised the team's performance by removing many of the mistakes and turnovers the team has been making on the blue line. Instead, Stastney kept his game basic, and it elevated his D-partner Kris Letang , too.

Soderblom's puck possession set an early tone and settled the early game. The Penguins were able to build on a couple of his O-zone possessions, stacking shifts.

Xs and Os

They can't all be dramatic track meets or bouts of hockey self-immolation. The Penguins and Dallas did a proper job of grinding the excitement out of the game for the first 40 minutes. Both teams lacked that second puck, a clean shooting lane, and open space ahead.

Instead, both teams muddied the track. The only space was on the perimeter.

Credit to the Penguins for remaining patient, which is not one of their hallmark strengths. The Penguins took the ice available and did not force cross-ice passes into the teeth of the defense (as they've done). They did not try to skate the puck into the zone and force controlled zone entries (as they've done). And they took care with the puck to make the correct next play rather than risky and costly up passes (as they've done).

Instead, the Penguins chipped the puck deep and gave good chase, creating a nice, though not great, forecheck. The other notable difference for the yellow three-bridges-clad home team was holding onto pucks, creating pressure in the offensive zone.

The breakouts were simple, but effective.

The biggest difference between Saturday and the stinkfest of the last three games was clean puck possession and connectivity.

There were also two large lineup differences that ordinarily wouldn't draw attention, but simply getting back to even was a positive. Muse put Elmer Soderblom in the lineup in place of Ville Koivunen, and most importantly, put Spencer Stastney in the lineup in place of the struggling Trevor van Riemsdyk.

"You want to go play, like, you don't want to overthink it. Today, (Stastney) comes in. Yesterday he watched (the game). Today he comes in, sees the systems package, and he gets a lot of information because you want to be on the same page at the same time," Muse said. "You can't go out there and overthink. And I think when the puck drops, you've just got to play. And I think for any player coming in, that's what you want to have. I thought he did a good job of that. He looked comfortable."

The Penguins did announce before the game that TVR was out with a lower-body injury, but regardless of his availability, the Penguins' defense was absent the turnovers of a righty playing on the left and van Riemsdyk struggling to find his man in the defensive zone.

Penguins Report Card

Team: A

We're grading on the curve, but going from abysmal to professional is such a large step forward that only an A grade makes sense.

The team was extraordinarily more connected and tight to the puck in all situations, all zones, and they resembled a professional hockey team rather than beer leaguers sneaking out of the house on a Wednesday night.

There were things that needed to improve. The Penguins did not take away Oettinger's sightlines or create tense moments with rebounds in the offensive zone. But … baby steps.

Sidney Crosby: It's Coming

The motor began to turn, and that was especially noticeable in the third period when he had a glorious chance in the slot, but Jake Oettinger made a terrific glove save. The reports of his demise were obviously premature. Just settle in—Crosby's best is on the way soon.

Elmer Soderblom: A

While Soderblom did not factor into the victory, at least on the scoresheet, he was a notable presence, especially in the first period. As the Penguins were on wobbly legs, trying to find a steady game, Soderblom did a couple of things that turned the game in their favor. He held onto pucks in the offensive zone, creating offensive pressure.

And his forecheck put the Dallas defensemen on notice. He created a few loose pucks, which prevented Dallas from attacking the still very shaky Penguins defense.

Evgeni Malkin: A+

Malkin danced through the offensive zone like it was 2009. He backchecked in the final two minutes like the game mattered. He looks fresh, engaged, and he was dishing the puck to Egor Chinakhov, creating the Penguins' best offensive pressure. Again.

Lightning Round:

**Power Play: C-

They had a few chances, but six shots in almost nine minutes of power play time was in line with their lack of net-front presence.

The Penguins' power play is not getting on the rush this season, which is forcing them to set up and shoot, then get second pucks. It's in their DNA to play on the rush, and the housecat approach is not their forte.

**Tommy Novak asserted himself in the second period with a few good shifts controlling the puck and distributing it. He has three goals this season, but he's been far too quiet.

**Nick Robertson. It was an odd choice keeping Robertson on the fourth line and Soderblom on the third, but it worked. Robertson was flying, and he generated some offensive pressure. One wonders what Robertson would do with Kindel at center…

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