Penguins Q&A: The Kids, Guentzel Fallout, & Mike Sullivan

It was a different night at PPG Paints Arena. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat a good team with a consistent effort throughout 60 minutes, the Penguins’ roster included seven players 25 years old and under, and Jake Guentzel threw just a little shade toward the Penguins’ management.

We spent a few minutes on the Penguins win over the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 at PPG Paints Arena. The result wasn’t necessarily as important as how they got there and who got them there.

Read More: Penguins Grades — Kids Fight & Score, Young Lineup Brings Juice

The Penguins’ 2019 first-round pick Sam Poulin was recalled Tuesday and slotted as the fourth-line center. Jesse Puljujarvi was on the right wing, and Jonathan Gruden was on the left. Gruden fought, and Puljujarvi scored.

Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 39 saves and had specific praise for rookie defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

Beginning at the five-minute mark, we took questions from X. Should the young players play more minutes, and the core three play less? Will Drew O’Connor be in the top six next season (6:30), extensive insights on Guentzel’s comments and the trade fallout (8:00), a little rebuke for a stubborn narrative on Mike Sullivan (12:42), and a home run question: does Evgeni Malkin do what the coaches want, and can Sullivan be more demanding of Malkin and the core (14:20).

Like and comment!