Snap Shots: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 OT (Exhibition)

Thoughts, musings and observations from the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss in their lone exhibition game against Philadelphia.

- HOCKEY IS BACK!

The puck drop between the Penguins and Flyers marked the official return of the NHL, as this was the first exhibition game on the entire docket. It was emotional and exhilarating and the result of a lot of hard work from everyone involved.

"It was exciting," said Matt Murray, who split the game with Tristan Jarry. "The atmosphere was something different, something that we'd never seen before. It was a ton of fun, and it's been a long time since we played a real competitive game like that. I know I had a blast and it seemed like everybody else did too. It was just great to be back out there."

The game was played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto without fans, but the NHL did a good job of creating a solid atmosphere considering the circumstances. Some crowd noise was pumped in - mostly noticeable after big saves or and each team's goal song played whenever they scored.

"It was a good setup," Sidney Crosby said. "You don't know what to expect walking into this for the first time, but I thought it was displayed pretty well from what I could see on the ice. A little different without crowd noise and that sort of thing, but it was fun to be back out there."

- OVERALL ASSESSMENT

With this being the Penguins' first anf only tune-up before they open the Qualifying Round against the Canadiens on Saturday, they had a lot to work on in the game while also trying to get their legs under them against an actual opponent after four-plus months off. Not an easy task, and it showed.

"I thought it was a sloppy game, especially in the first couple of periods," Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I guess it's probably to be expected given the fact that these guys haven't played in quite a while. I thought the second half of the game, we improved, we started to execute."

Throughout all of Phase 3 and into Phase 4, Sullivan has talked a lot about the importance of getting sharper in the subtleties of their game. He elaborated more on that following the game.

"In the first part of the game I don't think we handled the pressure of their forecheck as well as we could have," he said. "We had opportunities to make plays, to beat the pressure and we hit a skate or we hit a stick or things of that nature. Those are the subtleties that I'm talking about that these guys will get better at with game action. It's hard to simulate that stuff in a practice environment. It's the one opportunity that we had to try and assess where we're at, look at some of the areas where think we were good and find the areas we know we can improve and get better. We'll go to work on those starting (Wednesday)."

To be fair, I thought there were moments they handled the pressure well and did a good job of supporting each other in their own zone, which resulted in clean breakouts. From there, they moved through the neutral zone with speed, which has been a big focus for them as the Canadiens do a good job of clogging that area up. If the Penguins can do that more consistently, they'll be in good shape.

POWER PLAY NEEDS PRACTICE

One of those areas they know they can improve and get better is the power play, as the Penguins went 0-for-3 on the day and didn't generate a whole lot on those opportunities. The coaching staff stuck with the same units each time - they had Schultz with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist on the first unit and Kris Letang, John Marino, Bryan Rust, Jason Zucker and Jared McCann on the second unit.

While their entries were decent, there wasn't a whole lot else to write home about.

"We need to be a whole lot better," Sullivan said. "We've got a ways to go to get it firing on all cylinders. I think it will improve. I know these guys are proud guys. They want it to be successful. For me, the solutions are lying in simplifying the game. I don't think we moved the puck as quickly as we needed to. And I don't think we were shooting the puck when we had opportunities to put it on net."

Crosby agreed with those assessments, saying the next few days of practice and video sessions will be critical in terms of everybody getting on the same page leading up to Saturday.

"It's going to be a challenge for everybody," he said. "I think there's going to be rust, and we have to understand that. We're just going to have to make sure we simplify things and make the most of the time we have leading up to Game 1. I think practice is a big part of that. It can definitely get better."

- SID AND THE KIDS

Speaking of Crosby, Penguins fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief after the team announced that the captain would play in today's game after he missed time in training camp following his departure from the first intra-squad scrimmage.

"Physically I felt good, I felt strong," Crosby said. "Just anticipating and making plays and that kind of stuff, that's going to come with time. For the most part I felt really good."

His line with Sheary and Guentzel scored the first goal, and it looks like Sid and the Kids 2.0 has a chance to be even better the second time around. Both Guentzel and Sheary have matured and grown as NHL players in the three years since they won a Stanley Cup together, and you can see the confidence that they're playing with.

Also, how great was it to see Guentzel back in game action for the first time since Dec. 30?! He wasted no time in making a tremendous play on the game's first goal. It started when John Marino hit Guentzel with a perfect outlet pass as he was flying through the neutral zone (sidenote: the rookie defenseman was reallygood today, playing with so much poise and beyond his 23 years as he prepares for his first career NHL postseason). As Crosby executed center drive, Guentzel sauced a pass over to Sheary, who sniped it into the top corner for the score.

"I thought he played extremely well," Sullivan said of Guentzel. "I think he's only going to get better as he gets more comfortable and his timing and all the subtleties that are so important to his game. With each game that he plays we think he'll improve and get better. He makes a terrific play on Sheary's goal. That just shows you what he's capable of."

- BEAST MODE

I liked what I saw offensively from the line of Rust, Malkin and Zucker, particuarly as the third period rolled around. By that point they had entered Beast Mode, with Zucker scoring the tying tally off a feed from Malkin.

Mark Recchi talked during training camp about Zucker's incredible hockey sense, and it's truly on full display when he's playing on that line. He's able to execute difficult passes and make it look easy, but what I like the most is that he isn't trying to force anything or do too much. A lot of times, wingers who are new to playing alongside Malkin do just that.

Overall, the way the three of them are reading and reacting off each other while playing to their own strengths has been beautiful to watch. The speed and skill of Rust and Zucker flanking a generational talent like Malkin has the potential to be a real special, dangerous combination.

While I thought the top two lines were strong, I would like to see more from that third line of Patrick Marleau, McCann and Hornqvist. They looked good in training camp, but that didn't quite carry over into today as they were relatively quiet. Hopefully that will change come Saturday.