Musings: Ducks 4, Penguins 3

It was quite an eventful night on Tuesday in Anaheim.

The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Ducks battled back to tie the game in the first period. In the second period, Anaheim went up 3-2 before Anthony Mantha evened the score at 3-3. In the third period, Parker Wotherspoon was assessed a delay of game penalty late in regulation, and the Ducks converted with less than 90 seconds to go. They ended up with a 4-3 win in their home opener.

“I was trying to make the right choice and just get it off the glass... super unfortunate, but I can’t be doing that that late in the game,” Wotherspoon said.

Head Coach Dan Muse had this to say about the play:

"These things, they happen. I think Parker had a really strong game. Obviously, those types of situations, that's the rule. You want to avoid them. But overall, he had a strong game. It's unfortunate we're killing a penalty at that point in the game, and we didn't kill it off."

On the whole, the Penguins got one power play late in the middle frame, while the Ducks had over seven minutes on the man-advantage.

“Obviously, we would’ve liked to get a few more power plays, and we would like our kill to be a little better,” Bryan Rust said. “That was kind of the difference in the game.”

Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell also scored for Pittsburgh, while Tristan Jarry started in goal. He and Arturs Silovs have alternated starts to begin the season.

The highlights are as follows...

BLUE LINE SHUFFLING

First, some lineup notes. The blue line saw some changes, with 19-year-old rookie Harrison Brunicke getting the night off as part of his development plan. Head Coach Dan Muse said there will be times throughout the start of the year that Brunicke and 18-year-old forward Ben Kindel will come out of the lineup.

“We're looking at what's best for them now, but also, for them to continue to grow throughout the course of the season,” Muse said. “They're in a different situation just because of their age. It's something I strongly agree with, and I've learned some lessons myself just with my time working with younger players. And so, there is a reasoning behind this.”

Caleb Jones was also scratched, which meant Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton made their Penguins debuts. They were paired together.

Clifton spoke in the summer about wanting to re-discover his best game in Pittsburgh after going through some struggles in Buffalo. “Which is, he’s a very highly competitive, physical guy that can be very difficult to play against, won’t back down from anybody, and I think brings a lot of fire to the game each night,” Kyle Dubas said.

Dumba was also acquired via trade this offseason. After being drafted seventh overall by Minnesota at the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh, Dumba remained with the organization through the 2022-23 campaign. The last two seasons were with Arizona, Tampa and Dallas. Now with the Penguins, Dumba said, “I just want to bring a lot of intensity, the passion I have for the game, intangibles, and show that I trust my instincts, my skills, and that I can make plays, too.”

Kris Letang was paired with Ryan Shea, who picked up primary assists on the first two goals. Fantastic to see for a player Dubas called a "a zero-maintenance person I think everyone roots for because of that. He's very well liked and takes up no time of management, medical, coaching staff… does his work with the development people. Does it with vigor and enthusiasm.”

ANOTHER BIG NIGHT FOR THE MALKIN LINE (PUN INTENDED)

Justin Brazeau opened the scoring for Pittsburgh, marking just the fourth time in the last 10 years, and first since the 2023-24 campaign, that a Penguin got four or more goals through the team’s first four games.

Opponents cannot handle the new dad strength, as Justin and his fiancé Madison welcomed son Jackson the morning of the home opener. Jackson already has a puck in his nursery, courtesy of linemate Evgeni Malkin. More on that here, and stay tuned for a getting-to-know-you piece on Brazeau this week.

Malkin spoke last week about wanting their other linemate, Anthony Mantha, to get on the scoresheet. “I hope Anthony Mantha scores. I think he’s a little bit nervous right now. He wants to score his first goal (with the Penguins),” Malkin said. Mission accomplished for the three-time 20-goal scorer, coming off a knee injury that forced Mantha to miss most of last season.

RAKELL RESPONDING

Rickard Rakell also tallied in the first period, his first goal ever against the team that drafted him. He spent 10 years of his career in Anaheim before getting acquired by Pittsburgh at the 2021-22 trade deadline.

That’s now two tallies in the first four games for Rakell, one of the veteran players who has thrived under this new coaching staff. The 32-year-old forward said during training camp that it felt like Dan Muse is “really invested,” picking out parts of Rakell’s game that he likes, and suggesting small changes that can help him elevate.

“He sets the standard really high for us. I really like that about him, that he wants to get the best out of everybody. And that’s everybody in this room,” Rakell said.

What has stood out to Muse are Rakell’s versatility and his all-around game. While Rakell is typically seen first and foremost as a scoring winger, the Penguins had intentions of starting him at center, a position he played often earlier in his career. Muse has also given Rakell, who is an established power-play guy, reps on the penalty kill.

“For somebody like him, he's seeing it firsthand, the benefits of being able to have that versatility and to build that trust with a new coaching staff,” Muse said. “And I mean, he earned that right away. It's all situations, it's any forward position, it's both special teams. I think when you have somebody like that, it’s a huge benefit.”

MAKING ‘FRIENDS’ ACROSS THE COUNTRY

After every home game, Bryan Rust hosts meet-and-greets with young people who stutter and their families from the Friends community. It has had a tremendous impact that has gone beyond Pittsburgh, inspiring Ducks forward Leo Carlsson to start a similar initiative across the country in Anaheim.

During last year’s trip out West, Carlsson asked Rust if he would join him for a postgame meet-up with Liam Niel, a young Ducks fan from Friends, and he was happy to oblige. I got to tag along – the feature is here.