Two shots into the 2018-19 NHL season, Matt Murray's save percentage was still stuck at .000.
Two more shots, and it was at, uh, .250.
No matter the tempered expectations that accompany the opener -- as Kris Letang would word it much later, "There's always nerves, jitters with the first game" -- conceding three goals on the first four shots, four goals on the first 15, that couldn't have been a comfortable place to be.
Right?
"We won the game. That's what matters."
Indisputable. The Penguins did eventually outlast the Capitals, 7-6, on Letang's overtime goal, and the two points tend to be what matters most. Beyond that, after those four goals on 15 shots, Murray did stop 19 of 21 shots the rest of the way, including a couple dazzlers.
So, was it that bad?
Depends, as ever, on the perspective.
On one hand, the Penguins outshot the Capitals, 41-36, and utterly dominated high-danger scoring chances, 22-8. The latter is usually a powerful indicator of an all-out rout. But Murray gave up goals on all three of the high-danger scoring chances his teammates conceded in the first period, then blew a two-goal lead in the third period even though the Capitals didn't technically record a single high-danger scoring chance.
On the other hand, even the most advanced analytics aren't perfect. T.J. Oshie scored both of those third-period goals. One was on a blazing wrister from between the circles after an Evgeni Malkin giveaway, and the other was on an elevated tip of a point shot. Deflections are hardly ever blamed on a goaltender, and anyone who doesn't think Oshie's a threat skating in alone would do well to take that up with Vladimir Putin.
Before that, there was a tap-in by Jakub Vrana, a point-blank tip by Alexander Ovechkin, a two-on-one top-shelf laser by John Carlson and ... ugh, this:
Brooks Orpik? Unscreened? From 70 feet through the wickets?
Small wonder that, when asked which of all of those goals he'd most want back, Murray replied without hesitation, "The five-hole one. I mean, you want all of them back, always. But that one ..."
Murray's anything but the excuse-making type, so it was striking -- and fair -- to hear him explain that a new NHL-mandated set of goaltending pants didn't respond as he'd expected upon dropping. Looking above, it's easy to see he was sure he had the shot.
"They just didn't grab," he said of the pants. "I guess I just have to squeeze a little bit tighter."
I wrote all through camp and the preseason that Murray's performance has ranged from solid to outstanding. He's moving better than he did much of last season, and he's keeping his poise. If nothing else can be said of his season debut, the latter certainly was in play.
But yeah, another couple of big saves wouldn't have hurt. He'll get there.
• The NHL average for official team giveaways in a game is roughly a half-dozen. The Penguins committed 16.
Anyone looking for a culprit for the six goals needs to start there.
Better yet, right here:
My goodness. That's Evgeni Malkin flippantly handling the puck with a two-goal lead in the third period, and that's Oshie making him pay -- twice in 21 seconds, as it turned out -- to tie the score at 6-6.
That's so bad I can hardly concoct the words for it, but let's start by splitting some blame with Phil Kessel for cutting to the left rather than the right to set a breakout target. Malkin's eyeing Kessel all the way -- those two have eyes only for each other at times -- and Kessel presents a target that's already being presented by Carl Hagelin.
Other than that ... no, just no.
Malkin's three official giveaways matched the team-high total of Olli Maatta, who had a rough overall night. Kessel and Justin Schultz had two each.
Good for Mike Sullivan for emphasizing this above all afterward.
"One of the conversations we've had with our team over the past week is talking about our team identity, trying to define what that is specifically," he began. "And as I said to our guys, part of the fabric of that is becoming a team that's hard to play against, and part of that is becoming a team that doesn't beat itself. Otherwise, it's hard to win. Our coaching staff feels strongly about that."
You'll notice he's yet to mention giveaways. Or Malkin. He's good like this.
"And one of the ways to become easy to play against, or one of the easiest ways to beat yourself is to mismanage the puck. And this is an ongoing conversation with our players because part of our DNA is that we have playmakers, that we have guys who instinctively want to make plays, who are difference-makers."
So he got to the giveaways. Kind of hinting at Malkin.
"We're trying to challenge them to make sure they're diligent and that they have situational awareness in mind. We'll get better at that, but that'll be a conversation that takes place all year long."
Yeah, he's good.
• This was one of the Kessel giveaways ...
... but I share this not to bury him further, but rather to make a singular statement that, while the Capitals might or might not be the NHL's best team, they're the very best at the counterattack, if you ask me. Seriously, there's no one anywhere -- including the Penguins at their peak -- who can swivel a play 180 degrees like these guys.
And I dare say that's why the Capitals have generally become a harder matchup for the Penguins the past couple years. They take the Penguins' guns and point them right back in their faces.
• I could watch Nicklas Backstrom stickhandle in the Gobi desert.
• It's good to be Derick Brassard. At least it was on this night, after a big goal, a bit of extra spotlight back home from the TVA Sports telecast to Quebec -- he's a Hull native -- then a regal shake of the hand afterward from Mario Lemieux.
• Brassard loves his linemates. But then, I've been sharing that here for a couple weeks now. He loves the push to his skating -- and the attack of the opponent's blue line -- that comes from Bryan Rust. And loves the support he gets from Dominik Simon.
Not getting ahead of anything, but Brassard being a big-time third-line center wouldn't be anywhere near as meaningful as the Penguins having their first truly productive third line since HBK. It makes them matchup hell for pretty much anyone they face.
"We really like what we have," Brassard reiterated to me after this. "It's a good mix with what all our guys bring to the table."
I asked Simon about this, and he thanked me for noticing. No, really. No idea where to go with that, but it was too cute to not mention.
• Someone asked me earlier in the week to pick a surprise player for the coming season and, after some hesitation over what constitutes a surprise, I chose Kris Letang. But only because I'd seen enough in camp and the preseason that it felt like he could surprise some cynical observers who've crushed him over his performance in 2017-18 coming off neck surgery.
Chris Bradford covers Letang's night, and I've got a few words to share, as well:
• Jack Johnson's debut with the Penguins was largely uneventful, coming up blanks in points, shots, plus-minus and giveaways. He mostly acquitted himself well, though he'd occasionally hold the puck too long and he didn't get as physical as I thought he might against this particular opponent.
He did nearly bring down the house, though, with a clean breakaway in the final minute of regulation -- only a game this bizarre could have had one of those -- but the puck rolled off his backhand before he could test Braden Holtby.
• Daniel Sprong logged 11 shifts, an assist and no official shots, though he did pop back into the high slot on the second power-play unit for a wrister that was tipped by Dmitry Orlov and fell to Jake Guentzel for a tap-in. Kid had quite the enthused reaction to the assist, too, both of which were welcome sights for all concerned, I'm sure, after a challenging camp.
Once the Penguins moved into lead-protection mode in the third, Sprong sat in favor of Bryan Rust, who double-shifted onto the fourth line. The trust will have to be earned.
• I'm a sap for season-opening player intros. Have been my whole life. But this one struck me most for the coaches' portion, when the crowd gave a little extra oomph for the names of Sergei Gonchar and Mark Recchi. I like that. It's one of many frequent indications that the people who make up the season-ticket base here didn't just show up. They've been at this a while.
• It'll be a Pittsburgh-Winnipeg Stanley Cup Final. Don't come at me over this. They're both 1-0, you know. Live in the present 'n' at.
• More hockey, please. Like tomorrow, OK?
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Capitals, PPG Paints Arena, Oct. 4, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS