The Pittsburgh Penguins got off to their 2024-25 NHL season on the wrong foot. In what is expected to be a crucial campaign for their aging core, the Penguins were steamrolled 6-0 by the New York Rangers in their home opener. After the embarrassing loss at home-ice, team leader Evgeni Malkin issued a strong wake-up call to Sidney Crosby and rest of teammates.
The Penguins‘ first game of the season was far from a gimme as they hosted the reigning Metro Division champions. Still, the final score was unfathomable. The Pens were blown out by the Rangers, and their start to this pivotal season was a far cry from expectations. New York jumped out to an early lead and kept Pittsburgh in a chokehold for all 60 minutes.
This season could very well be the end of an era in Pittsburgh. Their core of Crosby, Letang, and Malkin is running out of time and the rebuild is imminent. However, fans in the Steel City keep their hopes up for ‘one last dance’. After their crushing loss to divisional rivals, those hopes began to simmer down. Veteran Evgeni Malkin addressed the Penguins’ poor start and issued a wake-up call to the guys in the locker room.
“We think we are ready to play, but we need to play better,” Malkin commented after the game. “I mean, that was a real game, not exhibition. It’s a tough loss and I hope tomorrow we play better. Long season. Stay together, it is the only way.”
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on April 17, 2024 in Elmont, New York.
Sid the Kid doubles down on Malkin’s comments
Despite the Penguins being shutout in their catastrophic loss to the Rangers, the team captain Sidney Crosby had an all-around good performance. However, and as it has become the trend lately on Mike Sullivan’s team, the team did not help their best player and that’s not the recipe for success in the NHL. Crosby made his thoughts on the game clear.
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“They’re a team that if you take chances and give them those looks, they’re going to put them in. So we got behind and chased the game. This has nothing to do with last year. It’s a matter of, early on in the season, a little bit of adversity, and we didn’t find a way to stick with our game. We tried to get it all back at once and we found out the hard way.”
Pittsburgh will have a shot at redemption in Detroit. The Penguins face the Red Wings, looking to get back on track and avoid feeling a sense of urgency so early in the season.
