The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing their first difficult test early into the 2022-2023 season. After a fiery 4-1 start, the Penguins have dropped two straight in western Canada against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. In both games, they struggled to play a full 60 minutes and generally looked out of rhythm.
The Pens have a chance to right the ship against the Vancouver Canucks. Here are three things to watch for in their matchup tonight.
Sid Closing in on 900 Assists
The Penguins played two mediocre games in Edmonton and Calgary. That mediocrity needs to stay in those cities and not follow along with the Pens to Vancouver. One of the ways to stop the bleeding would be for captain Sidney Crosby to save the day. He is currently sitting at 899 career assists, and will become the 20th player in NHL history to accomplish that feat.
Facing the Canucks, look out for Crosby to will his team to victory and to pick up his 900th career assist, adding another accomplishment to his incredible career.
The Struggling Canucks
As hot as the Penguin's season began, the Vancouver Canucks start was the polar opposite.
They began the season with a dismal six-game losing streak. After a surprising 40-win, 92-point record last season, the Canucks were a dark horse pick to surprise in the Pacific Division this year. They resigned top player JT Miller to a lengthy extension and brought in supporting players like forward Ilya Mikhaev to boost their depth.
Despite the moves and potential, the Canucks look far away from a playoff team early into the season. Canuck's President of Hockey Operations, and former Penguins GM, Jim Rutherford, was blunt as always when addressing where his Vancouver team is at currently.
"We may very well be in a rebuild in the direction we’re going," he said.
After managing to win their first game in their most recent tilt against the Seattle Kraken, the Canucks are looking to prove Rutherford wrong and get going in the right direction.
Commit to Four Lines
The Penguins are missing several key players with injuries to Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker, and Teddy Blueger. Replacing all three of these crucial pieces is not as simple as plugging in a different player. Despite this, the Penguins need to commit to all four lines in this matchup against Vancouver.
Youngster Sam Poulin is set to center the Pens' third line again. After posting an assist in an impressive debut, he needs to see the ice more than the 12 minutes he played in Calgary. Similarly, the fourth line has been solid with Brock McGinn, Ryan Poehling, and Josh Archibald. Hopefully, Coach Sullivan is able to roll all four lines against the Canucks, and give his team a chance to rebound in Vancouver.
The Penguins face off against the Canucks at Rogers Arena for a 10:00 pm EST matchup.
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