Prospects Lead Way As Penguins Defeat Sabres, 5-3

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their winning ways in the pre-season on Wednesday when they visited the Buffalo Sabres.

And they were once again led by the young guns.

The Penguins defeated the Sabres, 5-3, and their best young prospects – especially on the forward front – showed out again. Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes scored power play goals for the Penguins, while Ville Koivunen, Filip Hallander, and veteran defenseman Matt Dumba also got on the board.

Goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped 28 of 31 Buffalo shots in a strong effort, with Buffalo’s goals coming from Josh Norris twice and Rasmus Dahlin. In addition, Penguins’ defenseman Jack St. Ivany sustained a lower-body injury blocking a shot during the first period, and Pittsburgh played most of the game with five defensemen.

Given that development on the blue line, it wasn’t a perfect game by any means. There were definitely some mistakes here and there. But, overall, head coach Dan Muse loves the effort put forth by each of his players over this slate of pre-season games – and that continued Wednesday.

“There’s no complaints on the efforts,” Muse said. “This is a game of mistakes, especially in exhibition season, especially early in the season… and I think the guys, when mistakes were happening, they were collectively outworking those mistakes. They were getting back, they were supporting, they were putting themselves in good positions.

“That’s a trend that we wanted to see as we went through camp, and it was good by them. Like I said, these groups – tonight’s game and last game – they are definitely making things harder.”

And the “things” he was referring to are roster decisions, which should be happening in the coming days for the Penguins. Most of the veterans should expect to skate in the final pre-season tilt against Buffalo in Pittsburgh on Friday, but it will probably be a final test for some of the younger guys who are really making those decisions difficult, too.

Speaking of difficult decisions, let’s talk about who is making decisions difficult. Here are some thoughts and observations from this one.

– I didn’t think this was the best performance from Harrison Brunicke, but he certainly wasn’t bad in this game. He got burned badly on Dahlin’s goal, and he was out-of-position during the penalty kill on Thompson’s goal.

Then again, it wasn’t a great night for the Penguins’ defense all around. Ryan Shea and Ryan Graves were completely out to lunch on Buffalo’s first goal by Norris, and Owen Pickering didn’t enjoy a particularly strong evening, either. It’s worth noting that – again – the Penguins played most of the game with five defensemen because of St. Ivany’s injury.

That said, everything else from Brunicke in this game was outstanding yet again. He isn’t going to be perfect, and there are going to be plenty of growing pains from him. But, if he is not on this roster come Oct. 7, that will be some serious mismanagement by the Penguins.

He has earned the nine-game trial at the very least. And he’s not the only one.

– Penguins’ historian Bob Grove – if you don’t follow Bob, you need to follow this link and do that – pointed out prior to Wednesday’s game that since 2012, the only four players to dress for more than three pre-season games were Greg McKegg in 2017, Juuso Riikola in 2018, Rutger McGroarty in 2024, and Ben Kindel in 2025. The first three all made the opening night NHL roster.

Call me a contrarian, but Kindel – along with Brunicke – also needs to start the season on the Penguins’ roster. Even if he only gets the nine games then gets sent back to the Calgary Hitmen, it’s worth seeing what he can do in those nine games.

Should Ben Kindel Get The Nine-Game Trial? The Case For And Against
There are a lot of stories coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this year. Many of them involve young players making an impression and pushing for the NHL roster.

This was three games in a row now where Kindel was the best player on the ice, arguably, including the three respective opponent teams as well. He’s doing things at 18 that you just can’t teach – such as showcasing his incredibly high hockey IQ by making passes that kids his age shouldn’t be able to make – and the things he’s getting wrong, he’s learning on-the-fly.

“He’s been consistent,” Muse said. “I thought he had another game where it’s the same thing. On the defensive side, too, you can see a little bit more. He’s a little quicker to close space. He’s been out there, him and his line, against some very established NHL players in these last couple of games.

“I think that experience for him and him being out there, it’s massive. And he’s handled it well. You can see with the puck, too… at no point have I seen any hesitation with him. He’s not afraid to make plays, and he’s made some high-end ones without a lot of time and space.”

I don’t buy much into the argument that size or the grind of an 82-game season are issues for Kindel. There are plenty of players who enter the league at 18 or 19 years old and need to add some size who turn out just fine. Every young player needs to get bigger and stronger. This is nothing new in today’s NHL.

But a player is ready when he’s ready. Kindel has yet to show that he can’t handle NHL competition, and he’s getting better with every game and with increasingly difficult competition. To me, he looks ready.

He’s earned the nine games. The Penguins need to give credit where it’s due and reward him for his efforts and for simply being the best guy out there on a consistent basis. If they don’t, I think they’re getting this one wrong.

– In my opinion, Broz should be a lock for this roster. And I think what the Penguins are doing with his deployment is pretty telling.

Muse was asked about putting Broz in more defensive situations during this game. And he said that moving him around the lineup and using him in different situations hasn’t exactly been an accident.

“He’s been out there in a lot of different situations. Game-to-game, it’s kind of changed a little bit, and that has been something that’s been a little bit by design,” Muse said. “I think there’s been some games where he’s been in more d-zone starts, there’s been some games there where it’s maybe a little bit more on the penalty kill time. But, I think it’s been good. I think he’s been in the right spots, and the detail has been pretty solid.”

This whole thing reads to me as if the coaching staff is testing Broz a bit. And he’s passing with flying colors. The thing that separates Broz from some of the other guys fighting for roster spots is that he can play effectively in an NHL bottom-six role without that deployment affecting the course of his development. It’s not the same thing as putting someone like Koivunen in a bottom-six role. Broz can thrive there.

I think he’s earned his spot. It’s going to be tough, but he’s a guy you cut a veteran for. He’s ready for the next level.

– Now, let’s talk about a veteran who has really showed up to camp this season in Dumba.

I’ve got to say that I’ve been impressed by him. I know it’s only the pre-season, but he looks nothing like the same defenseman that struggled with the Dallas Stars last season. He’s playing solid defensive hockey, he’s physical, he’s activating in the offensive zone, and he’s got a booming shot that he hasn’t been afraid to unleash.

Many were down – and, in some cases, outright harsh – on Dumba coming into camp. But I think he has pretty discernibly earned a spot on the final NHL roster. If he can get anywhere close to the blueliner he was in his prime with the Minnesota Wild, that should make the Penguins very happy. He’s in a contract year, and I’m sure the Penguins would love to be able to sell high on him this season to a contender.

He may have to play the off-side at times, but he has earned his spot.

– I am not overly impressed with Blake Lizotte in this pre-season. I do believe he will start the season in Pittsburgh, but – quite frankly – I think quite a few of the younger guys have outplayed him. In fact, three young centers, in particular – Broz, Kindel, and Filip Hallander – have all outplayed him, and two of those guys would be in a position to take on a center role in the bottom-six.

Lizotte is a player the Penguins should be able to trade early on in the season, and if there is a taker, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t pull the trigger. I quite liked what Lizotte brought to this team last year, but if the Penguins are truly going younger, he’s the exact kind of player who will block a young, promising prospect from locking down a roster spot.

I do think waivers will be exercised on some veterans in the next few days. Again, while I don’t think Lizotte will be one of them, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t stick around this entire season.

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