Pittsburgh Review

Joel Blomqvist made an impressive NHL debut with 29 saves, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Evgeni Malkin reached a career milestone by earning his 800th assist during the game.

Anthony Beauvillier scored twice for the Penguins, who were recovering from a previous 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers. "I thought we played a much better team game tonight, but Joel made some key saves early that gave us a chance to stay in it," said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. Sidney Crosby and Malkin each contributed two assists, while Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson added one goal and one assist each.

The Red Wings saw goals from Alex DeBrincat and Vladimir Tarasenko. Ville Husso started as goaltender but was replaced by Cam Talbot after allowing four goals on 14 shots. "It was one of those nights where we couldn’t sustain any momentum," stated Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde.

DeBrincat initially put Detroit ahead with a goal early in the first period. Despite being outshot by Detroit in the first period, Blomqvist remained composed under pressure. "It might help a little bit to be busy early, it gets you a feel for the puck," he commented.

Beauvillier equalized for Pittsburgh before adding another goal in the second period. Drew O'Connor extended Pittsburgh's lead, followed by Pettersson's goal which prompted Husso's exit from the game.

Vladimir Tarasenko narrowed Detroit’s deficit before Karlsson scored on a power play for Pittsburgh. DeBrincat responded with another power-play goal for Detroit, but Kevin Hayes sealed Pittsburgh’s victory with a final goal.

Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry left due to an upper-body injury and did not return.

Malkin is now among only 34 NHL players to have achieved 800 assists. He joins active players Crosby and Patrick Kane of the Red Wings in reaching this mark during their careers.