Checking in with some initial knee-jerk reactions from the Pittsburgh Penguins first three games of the 2022-23 season.
Overall, it has mostly been a success with five out of a possible six points, two blowout wins, and an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The latter game was a tough loss, allowing a two-goal third period lead to slip away against a bad team, but there are still a lot of early season positives.
Some early thoughts and things that have stood out so far....
Evgeni Malkin looks great
He scored the Penguins’ only two goals in Monday’s loss in Montreal and already has three goals, four total points, and a team-high 17 shots on goal in the three games.