Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals, and Joel Blomqvist made 29 saves in his NHL debut as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Thursday night.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each contributed two assists, playing pivotal roles in four of Pittsburgh’s goals, helping the team bounce back from a 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers in their season opener. The Penguins also had goals from Marcus Pettersson, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Hayes, and Drew O’Connor.
For Detroit, Alex DeBrincat found the net twice in their first game, while Vladimir Tarasenko added another goal.
Notable takeaways include Crosby’s impressive performance against the Red Wings; with his two assists, he now has eight multi-point games in his last eleven matchups against Detroit. Over 22 career games against the team, Crosby has amassed 18 goals and 28 assists. The Penguins have a strong record against the Red Wings, posting 10 wins, 2 losses, and 2 overtime losses in their last 14 encounters, including a 5-2 record in the last seven games played in Detroit.
In contrast, Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso was replaced in the second period after conceding four goals on 14 shots. He has struggled with injuries, failing to finish his last two starts of the previous season. Additionally, defenseman Jeff Petry exited the game due to an upper-body injury.
A key moment of the game occurred early in the second period when the Penguins scored three goals in just 2:28, taking a commanding lead after being tied 1-1 at the end of the first.
The Red Wings, who had pledged improvements in defense, did not show signs of these changes, as they had previously allowed four or more goals in 39 out of 82 games last season.
Looking ahead, the Penguins will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, while the Red Wings are set to host the Nashville Predators the same evening.