It is not a total shock that the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to open the 2021-22 regular season with a win on Tuesday night.
Sure, they were playing without their top three forwards in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel, not to mention Zach Aston-Reese and defenseman Mike Matheson.
Yeah, they were on the road against the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, a roster whose game night roster looked wildly more impressive than the one the Penguins were using.
But they have won games without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup before.