Rachel Schaffner – Staff Writer
rls6117@psu.edu

Ever since the beginning of the 22-23 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a good start, but like most if not all teams, slip ups are bound to occur every now and again. Their season opener against the Arizona Coyotes was won with a score of 6-2. Following this win was another 6-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightnings. 

However, with their first away game being against the Montreal Canadiens, they lost to them 3-2 in OT, but they bounced back to win against the Los Angeles Kings 6-1. Moving to Columbus, OH to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pens were able to secure victory against them with a score of 6-3. Getting back on the road and moving more toward the West coast, the Penguins struggled with the teams they faced there. 

First up were the Edmonton Oilers. Facing off against the team that has one of the best players in the league, Connor McDavid, the Penguins brought their best to the game, but they lost with a 6-3 score. The tables have turned against the Penguins as they had four games this season in which they scored six goals, but were only able to reach half of that in the match against the Oilers. 

Still playing in Canada, they moved on to face the Calgary Flames. Playing a worse game than they did against the Oilers, the Pens lost with a score of 4-1. Fortunately for them, they were not shut out of the game entirely. The player to score that one lone goal for the Pens was No. 71, player Evgeni Malkin. As they continued with their games on the road, the Pens would find themselves scoring only one goal in the games against Vancouver as well as Seattle. 

Going up against the Vancouver Canucks, the Pens once more struggled with getting more than just a singular goal in the net. No. 67 player, Rickard Rakell was the only goal scorer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it was still not enough as they lost 5-1 against the Canucks.

Finishing off their road trip to the West coast, the Penguins went up against the 32 NHL teams that were approved back in 2018 and were inaugurated in 2021. Unlike the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who made history back in 2018 when they were not only inaugurated but went as far as the Stanley Cup Finals, which is unheard of for a new team, the Seattle Krakens were a letdown when they were inaugurated only a year ago. They were in the last position in their division, the Pacific Division. Surely the Penguins could stand a chance against them? That was not the case.

The Seattle Krakens had a change in them and with their placement of fourth in the Pacific Division as of now, and the Krakens were able to sneak out a win against the Penguins with a score of 3-1, with the lone goal scorer being No. 59 player, Jake Guentzel. Even though it is still fairly early in the season, before hockey fans know it, the requirements to get a spot on the Stanley Cup bracket will be upon them. Let’s hope that the Pittsburgh Penguins can iron out these kinks and give it their all for the upcoming games.