PHILADELPHIA — Pittsburgh opened its season by emptying the bench of reasons for optimism in a 7-0 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The stars showed up, the new faces scored, and Arturs Silovs locked down the crease in a performance that looked like the formula the Penguins will need over the long haul.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson combined for a goal and three assists against the Flyers, the club that knocked Pittsburgh out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs five months earlier. The familiar core remains central to everything Pittsburgh wants to accomplish, but the opening-night story was the support around it.
Quick facts
- Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 7-0 on the road in its season opener.
- Arturs Silovs made 19 saves for his second straight opening-night shutout.
- Nicholas Robertson scored twice in his Penguins debut.
- Hendrix Lapierre posted a goal and an assist, while Kaedan Korczak had two assists in his first Pittsburgh game.
- Filip Hallander returned after nearly 11 months away and recorded a goal and two assists.
- Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored for the Penguins.
Robertson, 25, got Pittsburgh on the board in the first period and added the sixth goal in the third. Acquired from Toronto on July 1 and signed for two years, he was placed immediately alongside Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the top line.
“It’s a blessing and an opportunity to play with Sid and Rakell,” Robertson said. “They put me in a position to succeed, and now it’s on me to perform.”
Crosby said an early night like that can matter for players entering a new room and learning a new structure. Confidence, he said, comes more quickly when newcomers find a way onto the scoresheet right away.
Lapierre, 24, set up Malkin’s power-play goal for a 3-0 lead in the second period, then scored to make it 4-0. He joined Pittsburgh on a two-year deal July 3 after failing to establish a consistent role in Washington.
Lapierre had four goals and 12 assists in 74 games last season, with 47 points in 158 career NHL contests. He said playing regularly was not enough; he wanted to be involved and make a difference rather than simply watching shifts pass from the bench.
Korczak’s two assists rounded out a six-point debut total from Robertson, Lapierre and the defenseman. Karlsson said a deep lineup will be essential amid the pace of the modern game, injuries and the grind of the schedule.
“It doesn’t really matter who plays where,” Karlsson said of Pittsburgh’s group. “Tonight was a great example of that.”
Hallander’s three-point return carried extra weight inside the room. The 26-year-old had missed most of last season after suffering a blood clot in his leg, making this his first game in nearly 11 months.
Coach Dan Muse praised Hallander’s approach through the difficult stretch, saying the forward kept coming to the rink and went about his work without allowing the situation to change his attitude. Muse said the staff and players were especially pleased to see him make such an immediate impact.
Koivunen, 23, broke in alone to score the goal that pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second. Pittsburgh committed to him in a major way on Aug. 6, signing him to an eight-year contract despite his 14 points in 47 NHL games, including seven points in 39 games last season.
Muse said an immediate contribution can go a long way for a young player entering a larger role. Chinakhov, 25, added another scoring touch as he looks to carry over the production he found after arriving from Columbus last season.
Chinakhov produced 18 goals and 18 assists in 43 games after the trade from the Blue Jackets. If he can sustain that kind of influence across the full season, Pittsburgh’s forward depth takes on a much different shape.
Silovs supplied the clean finish with 19 saves. The 25-year-old is trying to establish himself as a dependable No. 1, and a second consecutive season-opening shutout is a sharp first entry in that bid.
General manager Kyle Dubas had stressed before the season that Pittsburgh cannot ask Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson to carry every burden. The Penguins returned to the playoffs last season for the first time in four years, and the next step depends on the younger and newer pieces adding real weight behind the franchise icons.
Muse saw that balance in Philadelphia. He said contributions throughout the lineup matter not only to the club, but also to players trying to settle into unfamiliar circumstances.
There are 83 games left, and one lopsided road win does not solve Pittsburgh’s larger questions. Still, Lapierre called it a major confidence boost and noted there are few better ways to start a season than a 7-0 win away from home.
