What a game, what a night, and what a player.
There was a lot of anticipation heading into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ pre-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, and – honestly – it all lived up to the hype.
On Marc-Andre Fleury night, the Penguins put their best effort on the ice and bested the Blue Jackets, 4-1. Rickard Rakell scored twice for the Penguins, and Sidney Crosby and Ville Koivunen also added tallies. Sergei Murashov – likely the future at the Penguins’ goaltending position – started the game and stopped 12 of 13 shots through two periods, and Fleury – the legacy of the position – stopped all eight shots on goal that he faced in the third period.
Of course, getting the win was nice. The game itself was a well-played one by the Penguins. But, if everyone is being real with themselves, none of that was the story on Saturday. It was all about ‘Flower,’ and a sold-out crowd cheering every time he touched the puck and chanting “one more year” at fever pitch told you everything you need to know about what transpired at PPG Paints Arena during what was had to be one of the most-attended NHL pre-season games in history.
“It was the coolest pre-season game ever,” forward Bryan Rust said. “Flower is a person who is so revered in this organization and in the city, and I don’t think he necessarily wants the attention, but I know he appreciates it. We appreciate him. I only played with him for a couple years, and I know how special he is.”
The energy consumed the building from warm-ups to the aftermath of the pre-planned “shootout” at the end of the game, where Fleury took one final lap around the ice and shook hands with players on both teams. There wasn’t a dull moment on Fifth Avenue Saturday, and even head coach Dan Muse – new to town – was able to get a feel for how much Fleury means to his teammates, to the fans, and to the city.
Marc-Andre Fleury Steals Show For Penguins On Saturday
It was Marc-Andre Fleury’s night in Pittsburgh on Saturday as the Pittsburgh Penguins picked up their second preseason win. They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets by three, 4-1, thanks to two goals from Rickard Rakell, one from Sidney Crosby, and one from Ville Koivunen.
He and the coaching staff even had a moment to turn to each other and marvel at the atmosphere that they found themselves in.
“I mean, the crowd was incredible,” Muse said. “Just the passion of the fans and then, obviously, to see a tribute like that… it’s so obvious to me, somebody who’s new to the organization, seeing not just tonight, but over the last couple of days, how much Marc-Andre Fleury means to the fans here and to the organization, to the city, to his former teammates, the admiration from players that never played with him before but were now sitting with him in the locker room these last couple of days… yeah, it’s incredible.
“I think I speak for the entire coaching staff and for everybody that was a part of that, it was a really special experience throughout… To get the win, it was important there just to cap off a really special couple of days and a really special night for Marc-Andre Fleury and this entire organization.”
Fleury was, obviously, the story of the night, but there were other items to discuss from this one. Here are some other thoughts and observations from the win.
– In other news, let’s talk prospects. In particular, let’s talk about Ben Kindel. Again.
I know I brought up Kindel after the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Jackets on Wednesday. But he has been very, very good for the Penguins. He finished with six shot attempts and was helping drive offense all night. He’s absolutely flying, and I simply do not see what draft experts held against his skating: his edgework is great, and he looks like one of the fastest players out there, at least, per the eye test. And – above all – he’s such a smart player, and his reads are already at NHL speed.
My sentiment from Wednesday hasn’t changed much. I still don’t think he makes this opening night roster, even for a nine-game trial. But, man, Penguins’ fans need to keep an eye on this kid, regardless of where he ends up playing this season. I really, really like his game, and I think he could be something special for the Penguins down the line.
Benjamin Kindel Finding His Footing In First Penguins Training Camp
It’s been almost three months since the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Benjamin Kindel with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
– Another player I want to talk about? Rakell.
No, he isn’t a prospect at the ripe age of 32. However, I’ve been intrigued by some of the decisions Muse and the Penguins have made with him so far in terms of deployment this pre-season.
He started as the game’s third-line center between Koivunen and Kindel, and he’s been iced at the center position pretty much all throughout camp. He was also deployed on the penalty kill, which is something that – in my opinion – should have been done a long time ago, as Rakell is one of the Penguins’ best defensive forwards.
And, of course, he knows how to score goals, which is the best part of his game. He had a garbage goal on the power play and an empty-netter at the end.
Both his positional and situational versatility are being tested in training camp, and – while I like that the Penguins are giving him some runway with those things – I’m curious to see what happens as rosters are gradually more and more reduced. Rakell scored 35 goals alongside Crosby last season, so it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be iced in the top-six as a winger, where he can play to his biggest strengths.
But that versatility is something that Muse and the rest of the staff like about Rakell, and they’re leaning into that.
“He’s a player – and he’s shown this from an offensive standpoint, even as a wing – who’s really good attacking the middle of the ice,” Muse said. “He’s really good at finding space in the middle of the ice. You know, you look at his game in the offensive zone and on the power play, and he’s just got some great instincts there in terms of how he positions himself to be a scoring threat but also just how he positions himself in the middle of the ice to be available.
“We also view him as a responsible player, a player that can be trusted on the defensive side. You get a player like him, too, which today, he got a little bit of time there on the penalty kill… it was good to see. Sometimes, players like him that have spent a lot of time on the power play, they think like power play players. So, they’re able to anticipate plays really well. You combine that with his defensive awareness, really good stick… it’s something that we want to see. So, we’re going to continue to look at that, and we’re going to continue to look at other options. But, now is the time to see things like that.”
I also wonder – to an extent – if the Penguins are trying to up Rakell’s trade value by showcasing these things. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. But, that said, I would be surprised if any movement happens prior to puck drop on Oct. 7.
In any case, this is something to keep an eye on as camp progresses.
– Two other players worth touching on are defensemen Caleb Jones and Parker Wotherspoon.
Jones played a decent game. He was caught being too aggressive on Del Bel Belluz’s goal in the first, leaving Letang out to dry a bit on the two-on-one. But, aside from that play, I thought he was solid the rest of the game. He generally has a good feel for when to activate and when to stay back. He’s been paired with Letang for a few practices in camp, too, so we’ll see where that goes.
As for Wotherspoon? I like how… uninteresting he is. He’s rarely out of position, he’s calm, and he just does his job. He plays the game so simplistically that you hardly notice him out there, but that’s far from a bad thing. In order to be effective with Erik Karlsson, a defensive partner needs to have his head on a swivel, but they also need to just simplify and give him space to do his thing.
So far, Wotherspoon has shown he can handle that. I’m not saying he’s a high-grade option in terms of top-pairing defensemen – he isn’t that – but as long as he’s serviceable and is able to handle the tall task of playing alongside Karlsson, he’ll be effective in his role.
We’ll see if one – or both – of these pairings stick throughout the rest of camp. If they do, it will be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the defensive corps.
Pre-season Offers Sneak Peek At Potential Future Defensive Pairing
When in the early stages of NHL training camp, it’s not often wise to read into too much.
– Speaking of… I’ve said it a few times, and I’ll say it again:
Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke should be the third pairing on this team. And it’s becoming less and less of a debate at this point.
If you remove contractual obligations to veteran players from the equation, they are, easily, two of the best-six defensemen in this camp. And what has impressed me most is the detail in each of their games. Brunicke’s stick detail is outstanding. Pickering is rarely caught out of position and reads off of Brunicke’s tendency to activate really well. Both defend odd-man rushes well.
There are going to be mistakes from them as young players, but honestly? They don’t do a whole lot wrong. They both have great instincts.
They need to be on this team. I’ve seen enough at this point.
– Last but certainly not least, how fitting was it that Crosby registered three points in this game?
As much as this night was about Fleury, it was also about Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, and Letang all having their reunion on the ice together. Crosby has been in visibly good spirits since Fleury’s arrival at camp on Friday, and there is just a different kind of energy with him when Fleury shares the room.
After the media was done talking to Fleury – and Fleury shook hands with everyone – Crosby was sitting in the locker room, just waiting for Fleury. Waiting for the noise to die down and for the room to clear so he could enjoy some time with his best friend.
This night was beautiful for a lot of reasons. But what was most beaufitul was seeing all these guys get to have this experience together and give their longtime teammate and good friend the sendoff he deserved.
‘I’m Happy It All Worked Out’: Fleury, Teammates Relish Chance To Share Ice One Last Time
Normally, NHL training camp is an all-business kind of affair, and that’s exactly how it’s been at Pittsburgh Penguins’ camp this year.
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