There was hockey being played on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, although one might not even know it for how low-event it was.
Nevertheless, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby found a way to, yet again, come through for his team.
Crosby one-timed the overtime game-winner on a power play, and that lone goal gave the Penguins a tight 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. The goal extended Crosby's point streak to nine games, which is the longest active streak in the NHL.But as big as Crosby was - as well as Tristan Jarry, who earned his first shutout of the season in a 31-save effort - that wasn't the story of the night.
But as big as Crosby was - as well as Tristan Jarry, who earned his first shutout of the season in a 31-save effort - that wasn't the story of the night.
Forward prospects Rutger McGroarty - who turned 21 Sunday - and Ville Koivunen were deployed in the Penguins' top-six against the Senators, and they did not disappoint. It was McGroarty's fourth NHL game and Koivunen's NHL debut, and both rookies made an impression.
"I thought they both had great games," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought they played hard, they brought us some energy, you can see that their hockey-IQ is high, their compete level is high... I'm sure they were playing on adrenaline for obvious reasons. When you get called up and have an opportunity to play in the NHL, it's a dream come true for these guys.
"So, I'm sure they were playing on adrenaline, but I thought they had a huge impact. I thought they played really well, and I thought they fit in on the lines."
The captain agrees. And he had some great things to say about McGroarty, who flanked his left.
"I thought he played well," Crosby said. "He was in on the puck, in on the forecheck, creating turnovers, had a couple chances in and around the net. I thought he competed really hard."
Koivunen also felt really good about his NHL debut,
"Felt very good," Koivunen said. "Of course, it was fun to win. Really exciting game, and I was pretty happy."
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Here are some thoughts and observations from Sunday's win:
- Something that stood out right away about Koivunen is his puck pursuit game. During his very first shift with Rickard Rakell and Connor Dewar, he came in hard on the forecheck and won a few puck battles, also forcing a turnover later in the shift. Later, he also performed a nice stick lift on Ottawa forward Drake Batherson to shut down a play.
I also like Koivunen's game at the net front. He has a lot of smarts in the danger areas, and it's easy to see why the 21-year-old has seen so much success at the AHL level this season. He doesn't shy away from contact and he excels in the hard areas of the ice, too.
"I was curious to see how Ville would do with the pace and the size of the NHL, and I thought he handled it extremely well," Sullivan said. "I look forward to watching him here more."
Once Malkin is healthy, I'm looking forward to seeing a line of Koivunen, Malkin, and Rakell. They saw the ice together quite a bit during training camp, and I'm curious to see how Koivunen responds to a full-time center who also happens to be a future hall-of-famer. More on that "full-time center" thing later.
McGroarty also pointed out that Koivunen scored on his first shot during his "rookie lap." Props there, too.
"Luckily, I didn't fall, so I was happy with that," Koivunen joked.
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- Much of what applies to Koivunen also applies to McGroarty.
I didn't think he stood out quite as much as Koivunen on Sunday, but the details and subtleties in McGroarty's game are what impress me. He's rarely out of position, he has great offensive instincts, and he made a few tough passes in the offensive zone, and he even had a two-on-one with Kevin Hayes that he simply fumbled.
"I feel like my first couple of shifts, [I was] just adjusting to the speed - I'd say my first two to three shifts - and just how fast he plays and the tempo he plays at," McGroarty said. "And then, just kind of reading off of him as well. I mean, he's such an easy player to read off of, and his communication is great. And he's just a very good hockey player. Just getting used to that tempo just the first two to three shifts, then after that, I felt really good."
His skating is certainly better than it was back in October, but I do think there's still room for improvement in his first step. I know this is something he has been working on.
However, McGroarty said he was wearing two different skates at the end of the game because one of the ones he was wearing malfunctioned.
When asked how awkward it felt, he quipped that they were "brand new" and that it did feel pretty awkward.
"First time ever putting them on," McGroarty said. "I baked 'em, and that was my first time ever putting them on. So, yeah, they [felt] different."
Well, having two different skates on certainly doesn't help a player's skating. Haha.
- Re: Full-time center: I commend Rakell's effort at center, and all things considered, he doesn't look too shabby out there. He's going to the right areas of the ice, he's making good decisions, he's shooting the puck (tied for the team lead with 10 shot attempts Sunday), and he looks like he's been there before.
However, faceoffs are certainly a problem. Rakell hadn't won a single faceoff heading into the third period - he did win a few in the third - and Crosby was taking some strong-side offensive zone draws for that line throughout the night.
This isn't a role Rakell will be expected to play moving forward, so it's not a big deal. But it's certainly a tell that he hasn't played the position in a while when faceoffs are a struggle to that extreme.
- Noel Acciari gets his fair share of ire on social media and in fan circles. Sure, he doesn't provide much of anything offensively, and he is 33 years old in a bottom-six role.
But teams - even good ones - need this kind of player on an NHL roster.
Acciari laid out seven hits and had yet another blocked shot on Sunday. He now has 168 hits on the season - the next-closest player is Rickard Rakell with 109 - and he is tied with Kris Letang for the team lead in blocked shots at 96, which is typically not a forward-leading stat.
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This low-event, low-scoring, tight-checking, defense-first game is the exact kind of game where a team needs someone like him in the lineup. He takes hard minutes away from the top players and plays a fearless game.
"He's an important player for us," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think a lot of his contributions don't always show up on the highlight reel or they don't show up on the scoresheet. Those are the 'thankless jobs' that we're talking about.
"He pays a price. There's a cost to winning, and he's willing to pay it. I think Noel's been an invaluable player for us throughout the course of the year."
He won't be around for the rebuild, but he has more value than given credit for.
- The Penguins have seven games remaining. McGroarty and Koivunen were truly impressive on Sunday, and I imagine they'll be around until the end of the regular season.
It was easy to tell that simply having those two around injected some energy into a dejected group of players. If Penguins' fans are going to take solace in anything this season, take it in watching these guys get a nice run of NHL hockey to close out the season.
If they play anything like they did against the Senators, I'm sure they'll have something to show for it, too.
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