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Defensive Mistakes; Penguins Report Card in Loss to Flyers | PHN+

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NHL trade rumors, Brandon Tanev, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers

It was the first game of the Pittsburgh Penguins season and the first on the NHL calendar. Of course, it was also the same obstacle course for the Philadelphia Flyers, who were absent the continuation of mistakes and beat the Penguins 6-3 at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.

Here’s the postgame wrap. 

What do I mean by a continuation of mistakes?

The Pittsburgh Penguins were a little sloppy and loose, but that was expected after an inadequate nine-day training camp. Most teams will battle themselves as much as their opponents.

On the positive, the Penguins were ahead on the shot clock and shot attempts. They carried the 5v5 play for most of the second period. And there were several individual performances that affirmed  GM Jim Rutherford’s offseason decision-making, including Mark Jankowski.

“For the most part, I thought our line was good tonight. We were hard on pucks on the forecheck and didn’t give them too much in the D-zone,” Mark Jankowski said. “Overall, I think we have to build on those things…”

On the negative, a couple of players on whom the Penguins will lean made simple mistakes.

“Short training camp, new people coming in. We’ve got to get the chemistry down,” Penguins defenseman John Marino said. “I don’t think anyone in the locker room is too worried about it.”

Defensive miscues plagued the Penguins, and we’ll dig into the culprits. Marino wasn’t generally one of the blamed, but the chemistry on his pairing is one thing that will need to improve.

But the Penguins’ downfall on Wednesday also coinceded with shouts that could be overheard from the bench.

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