MALK-A-MANIA
Evgeni Malkin has been off to a hot start to kick off the 2025-26 campaign, having recorded back-to-back multi-assist/point efforts (5A) in the team’s first two games. Malkin’s five points ranks second in the NHL behind Vegas’ Jack Eichel and no one in the league has more assists than Pittsburgh’s future hall-of-famer.
Per NHLPR, Malkin the first Penguins player with five or more assists through his first two games of a season since Mario Lemieux in 2000-01 (2G-5A in 2GP) and is the team’s first skater to post back-to-back multi-assist games to start a campaign since Sidney Crosby did so in 2022-23 (2G-4A in 2 GP). Only one player in franchise history extended his streak to three contests: Kevin Stevens (2G-9A in 3 GP in 1990-91).
CAPTAIN CROSBY
Sidney Crosby found the scoresheet for the first time this season, notching two points (1G-1A) in Pittsburgh’s win on Thursday against the Islanders. In doing so, he surpassed Joe Sakic (625) and Jarome Iginla (625) for sole possession of the 16th-most goals in NHL history. Only four players in NHL history have more goals with a single team than Crosby’s 626 with the Penguins.
Crosby, who has 1,063 career assists, enters tonight’s game one assist from surpassing Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman for sole possession of the ninth-most assists in NHL history.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke notched his first NHL goal in his second NHL game on Thursday night against the Islanders. Brunicke, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, became the first player born in South Africa to score in an NHL game. It marks the 43rd different country to feature a player scoring a goal in the regular season or playoffs. Brunicke is also the third-youngest defenseman (19 years, 154 days) to score a goal in franchise history. Brunicke is one of just seven NHL rookies to score a goal this season.
IN RUST WE TRUST
Winger Bryan Rust has been practicing with the team in a full capacity and appears close to making his season debut. Rust is coming off of a 2024-25 campaign that saw him set career highs in goals (31) and points (65), and he also climbed the Penguins all-time ranks, moving into the top-10 in franchise history in goals (209, 9th) and top-15 in points (437, 14th).
Rust has hit the 20-goal plateau in six-consecutive seasons – a feat that only 19 players in the NHL, and no other Penguins, have accomplished. Of those 19 players, he is one of just five Americans along with Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Chris Kreider and Auston Matthews.
Rust finished the 2024-25 season with nine goals and 16 points (9G-7A) over his final 12 games. His nine goals were tied with Sidney Crosby for the team lead and his 16 points ranked second in that span
ARTY PARTY
Rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots in his Penguins debut on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, earning his first career regular-season shutout. Silovs became the second goaltender in Penguins history to record a shutout in his debut with the team, following Maxime Lagace on May 8, 2021 against Buffalo. He also joined Marc-Andre Fleury (Oct. 3, 2013 & Oct. 5, 2006) as only the second goaltender in Penguins history to record a shutout in the team’s season opener.
Silovs became the ninth-youngest goaltender with a shutout in a franchise debut since 1985-86.
Quick Hits
1) Kris Letang enters tonight’s game three assists from becoming the 20th defenseman in NHL history to notch 600 assists, and is looking to join Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Victor Hedman as the only active blueliners to accomplish this feat. He would also become just the 10th defenseman in NHL history to record 600 or more assists with one team.
2) Forward Justin Brazeau scored his team-leading third goal of the season on Thursday night. He became the second player in Penguins history to score the game winner in each of his first two games with the team, joining Chuck Kobasew in 2013-14. He is also just the 13th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat, and first since James Neal with Vegas in 2017-18.
3) Philip Tomasino has five points (4G-1A) in eight career games against the New York Rangers and has more goals against the Rangers than any other team he’s faced.
4) Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has started off a perfect 5-for-5 through the team’s first two games. The last time the Penguins went three-consecutive games to start the season without allowing a power-play goal came in 2018-19 (7-for-7 over first three games).
5) Only the Vegas Golden Knights (9) have more goals than the Penguins this season (7), and only the Colorado Avalanche (2) have allowed fewer goals than Pittsburgh (3) among teams that have played more than one game.
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