Improving Effort, Lack of Goals: Penguins Report Card vs. Flyers | PHN+

(TORONTO, ON) — regulation started well and ended well for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Conor Sheary ripped a wrister past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart in the first five minutes into the first exhibition, and Jason Zucker buried a rebound past a sprawled Brian Elliott in the final five minutes. In between, the Penguins searched for a cohesive game even as the legs were willing, but the timing was not.

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in OT, 3-2, on Monday afternoon at the Scotiabank Center.

It has been 140 days since the Penguins last played. And Philadelphia plays a more simple game, which is less dependent on timing. The Philadelphia Flyers are a chip-and-chase team with defensive support, while the Penguins are a more complex forecheck and attack type team. And sometimes a counter-attacking team, but their goals are timing and skill not usually blunt force.

Though the Penguins do keep the puck low and come in waves when they have momentum, the ice surface may force them to rely on that low game and cycle more often.

With bad ice and a long layoff, the first game isn’t something to dwell upon, but it can be something from which to learn.