Penguins / Sabers: what we learned from last night

In the preseason, it doesn’t matter whether a hockey team wins or loses, but the Penguins won 2-1 last night in Buffalo. More important than the outcome of the game is what individual players have shown (or perhaps not shown) as an indicator for the future.

So what were the important lessons learned from last night’s second preseason game for the Pens?

Give his due to the Dominik. Dominik Simon is a player who knows how to keep the puck for his team. Bad for scoring points. He does little things but can be a frustrating player for his inability to finish his chances and not cash in on the fruits of his labor (yes, yes, the rate stats are fun but he has 19 career goals in 184 games) . Simon managed to score tonight, with a smart backhand shot.

It’s only the preseason, but it’s important for Simon to show signs of life and production. He did so last night, and it’s an encouraging sign as his return to Pittsburgh gets off to a good start in the goals column.

DeSmith picks up where he left off. Casey DeSmith was not drafted. He’s generously listed at 6’0 ”, and these days there aren’t too many NHL goalies with his stature. But all he does almost every time he gets a chance to perform is impress and do his job. DeSmith started the game and stopped all 11 shots he saw in the 30:30 he played. I can’t ask for more, as he usually does. Yes, this is only the preseason and it is only Buffalo. But after an offseason operation, it’s still important to see what form a goalie is in. DeSmith seems ready to go. With a situation unknown (at best) with Tristan Jarry’s play, having a solid second goalie option is a must. DeSmith said tonight he was as reliable as ever. It’s a good sign.

“I think the way this league has evolved, most teams need two goalies,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. “There aren’t many teams that have just one goalie going from one end to the next. Casey has played a lot of important games for us since we had him as the Pittsburgh Penguin. He was a big part of the regular season last year when he was healthy, and this tandem has worked for us. Having two that work well, I think, is critical to a team’s ability to be successful in this league.

O’Connor steps up. I think one of the biggest differences of opinion between fans in general and coaches / decision makers in the Penguins organization is Drew O’Connor. Fans saw a guy who had no goals and an assist in 10 games in the NHL last season, who barely stood out or was noticeable most of the time for some reason, and maybe naturally is. enough “meh” on the attacker. The organization feels very different.

O’Connor has been skating with “Team 1” in practice lately, which will include most of the future NHL team in a few weeks. It could be helped by Zach Aston-Reese being on the shelf at the moment, but it’s an opportunity for the youngster. O’Connor scored 19 points in 20 AHL games last year. He’s 6’3 and can really move on the ice. He had zero points tonight, but won 10 of 14 face-offs. The Penguins need crosses. O’Connor isn’t a proven full-time center, but a performance like this should open the door to wanting to see more.

It’s a victory that, unlike most of last season in the NHL, O’Connor has stood out in a positive way in this game. Is he relying on that to jump on names like Lafferty, Angello, Zohorna in that type of lineup to be the 12 / 13th striker? Stay tuned..

Testing young people. Mike Sullivan mentioned the “conditioning” and “rhythm” levels about Radim Zohorna last week, in a standout note. Zohorna got 20 minutes tonight, winning 50% of his faceoffs and playing pretty well, especially since he missed training with an illness (non-COVID) earlier in the week. Next week is a really big audition for Zohorna and what he may or may not be able to deliver.

Likewise, Sam Poulin didn’t have the best camp, but he played 9:17 pm last night (only NHL mainstays in Marcus Pettersson and Kasperi Kapanen had more ice time). It’s an encouraging path to take, the Pens are giving their 2019 first-round pick every opportunity to look at length.

Nathan Legare has played under minutes, but has dressed for the two preseason games so far and has taken five shots on goal, a record for the team.

Exposure time, especially early on, as it is now, is where a team wants to test out and see what newcomers have to offer. To some extent, the team must be happy with what they saw tonight.

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All in all, it’s a pretty quick turnaround for a Sunday afternoon home game against Detroit for the next preseason game. Being at home, we might see more NHL-caliber talent looking to get into a game and start getting down to business. The schedule has moved to October, and now it’s a matter of time until the preseason continues to intensify as the team prepares for the upcoming regular season.