The Pittsburgh Penguins’ follow-up to their 4-1 pre-season opener win against the Buffalo Sabres was rough, to say the least. After that strong start, they dropped their second pre-season game 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, in a matchup that went downhill fast and hard. Detroit’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygard absolutely lit it up, snagging two goals, while Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs had a night he’d rather forget, letting in seven goals on just 23 Red Wings shots. Ouch.
Wheels Off the Wagon in Motown
Look, the goaltending was definitely subpar in this one, but let’s be real, the whole team began to fall apart in the second period, eventually surrendering a brutal four goals in the third. Coach Dan Muse didn’t mince words after the game, saying, “I thought we gave up way too much tonight.” He’s not wrong. It was a chaotic scene out there!
The Penguins actually opened the scoring, which feels like ancient history now. Defenseman Ilya Solovyov made a sweet play on a first-period penalty kill, finding Nick Robertson streaking down the right side. Robertson used his speed and edgework to beat the defender one-on-one, cutting across the net and burying the puck blocker-side for a 1-0 lead. It was a beauty, as the NHL noted, “Nick Robertson’s got his first in new colors!” But Detroit wasn’t having it. Brandsegg-Nygard responded within the final two minutes of the opening frame with his first goal. Then, Mason Appleton and Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored just 31 seconds apart before the five-minute mark of the second period, putting Detroit up 3-1. Rickard Rakell managed to cut the deficit to one in the latter half of the period, thanks to a nice feed from Sam Girard, making it 3-2 heading into the second intermission. That’s when things really went south.
Silovs’ Rough Night and Muse’s Vote of Confidence
Just a little over five minutes into the third, Brandsegg-Nygard snagged his second goal to make it 4-2. Kaedan Korczak tried to spark a comeback with a snipe from the right point a few minutes later, but Pittsburgh just couldn’t wrestle back control. Consecutive goals from Ondrej Becher, Wilmer Skoog, and Jesse Kiiskinen basically sealed the Penguins’ fate. Even a late goal by Rutger McGroarty, off an unreal give-and-go with Markus Ruck, couldn’t change anything. As “Pens System” put it, “UNREAL PLAY FROM THE RUCK TWINS AND RUTGER MCGROARTY! Beautiful steal from Liam Ruck, followed by an even prettier give-and-go between Markus Ruck and Rutger McGroarty!” A highlight, for sure, but far too little, too late.
Yeah, it’s just pre-season, everyone’s still finding their rhythm. But you can’t sugarcoat it, this was not a good performance by Silovs. We all saw what he could do last postseason, earning that 1A spot with an outstanding showing against the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 1. And he will begin the season on the NHL roster. Coach Muse isn’t hitting the panic button yet, thankfully. He said, “Arty showed last year, too, what he can do in this league. So, it’s not like we’re suddenly forgetting about that. He’s a guy whose game came a long way just last year, and I believe it’s going to continue to come a long way moving forward.”
More games are coming up, and with them, more practice time. Here’s hoping the Penguins can tighten things up and show us that awesome game they found in the first pre-season match. Gotta shake this one off!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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