Penguins’ Postgame: Analyzing the Prospects, Puljujarvi Impresses Sullivan

BUFFALO — Hopefully, Pittsburgh Penguins fans who made the trip to Buffalo to see the prospect-heavy Penguins lineup against the Buffalo Sabers NHL regular-heavy lineup enjoyed some hot wings after the game because there wasn’t much to enjoy during it.

In fact, the $3.12 toll on I-90 was an overpay for what Pittsburgh fans got to see as the Penguins lost to Buffalo 7-3 at Key Bank Center.

Jesse Puljujarvi scored a hat trick–all three Penguins goals–and drew praise from coach Mike Sullivan, but the team was largely overmatched.

Tristan Broz had a pair of secondary assists, and Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Avery Hayes also registered assists. Broz summed up the feelings of many of the prospects.

“I feel like I didn’t make some plays (but) I definitely feel like I can play in this league. I think the biggest thing is just the conditioning right now,” Broz told PHN. “The pace is really high, but I’m looking forward (to a second chance). I feel like I learned a lot in that game.”

Things were off to a promising start as the Penguins’ top prospect, Rutger McGroarty, created a turnover on the forecheck and then drew a penalty. Puljujarvi deflected Koivunen’s shot-pass for a power-play goal 68 seconds into the game.

The highlights largely stopped there until the third period.

“They had a really strong lineup, and it was it was a really good test for our guys,” Sullivan said. “For some of them, it was their first experience at playing against NHL-caliber players, and I thought we had moments in the game where our guys really competed hard and hung in there.”

Penguins top prospect goalie Joel Blomqvist stopped 15 of 16 shots in the first period, though fought the puck a bit. However, the first few minutes of the second period became a spanking. Buffalo scored a few goals from well back of the circles and totaled five goals in less than five minutes. They scored the quintet in just 4:40.

Does he need a short memory? “Yeah,” Blomqvist replied.

At one point, Blomqvist skated toward the bench, assuming he was about to get the hook. However, teammates briefly comforted the goalie, sending him back to the net. One goal later, Sullivan took pity on the goalie and sent Filip Larsson into the net.

Larsson, 25, signed with the Penguins in April after a breakout season in the Swedish Elite League. Larsson stopped all 10 shots he faced in the second period.

Larsson settled the Penguins, who were then able to play a little more freely.

Blomqvist stopped 18 of 24 shots. Larsson stopped the first 15 shots he faced before Dylan Cozens’s sneaky one-timer from just above the goal line tickled the twine just inside the post.

However, it was still a rude introduction to the NHL game for many of the Penguins players. Otherwise, it was Puljujarvi’s night to impress Sullivan.

Puljujarvi, 26, is 6-foot-4 and listed at only 201 pounds, but he is probably heavier. He played that way Saturday. He signed a free-agent tryout deal with the Penguins last November. He eventually reported to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to further rehab after double hip surgery. Eventually, he signed a two-year contract but was in and out of the lineup.

Since being drafted fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2016, he’s been fighting to establish himself in the NHL. Perhaps the training camp competition will unearth his fullest potential.

“I thought Jesse Puljujarvi had a pretty solid game. You know, he scores (three) goals, but I thought he did a lot of other things,” Sullivan said. “Just puck battles and leaning on people. He was pretty good in the forecheck. I thought he was strong on the puck all night.”

2 Bright Spots

1. Rutger McGroarty

He held his own against the NHL lineup, and he’ll probably get better with a few more opportunities. He had a few scoring chances by reading the play and getting open. He also created a couple of turnovers by getting on the defensemen in the low zone.

“I feel like I was good on the forecheck. I made some nice plays, but defensively, I feel like I was running around a little bit,” McGroarty said. “So (defensive coverage) is definitely something I have to work on. Another area of my game that was pretty good was my wall play. I felt pretty good at that, but definitely, in the D-zone–I need to watch some film.”

There’s a certain “it” factor with McGroarty where he can be impactful even in a terrible game. Perhaps coaches will be able to make some quick tweaks in the defensive zone–the Penguins certainly spent enough time behind their own blue line–and other assorted helpful hints, but there’s a solid framework.

2. Jesse Puljujarvi

A hat trick and several scrums standing for teammates. It was Puljujarvi’s night.

On Wednesday, Sullivan said some players had to play their way onto the roster, and some had to play their way off it, and understanding the difference “Is what makes a good pro.”

Puljujarvi was certainly in the latter category, but after that performance Saturday, he may have pole vaulted himself over several players fighting for one of the last forward roster spots.

His second goal was a beaut. He skated past the defenseman at the blue line and made a power move to the net with the defenseman in tow. Could he have made that move a year ago?

“No chance,” he said.

Puljujarvi also scored a power-play goal with a soft redirect that changed direction by about 45 degrees.

The big guy has every tool in the toolbox. When he’s motivated and on his game, he’s a forceful NHL player. He was also the first player to stand up for Vasily Ponomarev, who was needlessly crushed by Nicholas Aube-Kubel with a high hit at center ice.

Some of the prospects might remember the lesson, but coaches will probably remember it was Puljujarvi’s night.