"And tonight's No. 1 star of the game, with two goals and an assist, from your Penguins," Ryan Mill barked over the PA system, "Kris Letaaaaang!"
Yep, that Kris Letang.
The same guy who heard boos at times during his struggles last winter at PPG Paints Arena. The same Letang who'd last been seen in meaningful competition sliding on his knees, crashing helplessly into the end boards as Evgeny Kuznetsov and these same Capitals ended the Penguins' season and run of Stanley Cups.
Now, it's entirely premature to suggest that Letang, the Norris Trophy finalist from 2013, is completely back. But he certainly looked a lot like his pre-2017-18 self on this Thursday night, and that was far and away the most impactful positive from a back-and-forth 7-6 overtime win over the Capitals in the 52nd season opener in Pittsburgh.
Letang's four-on-three power-play goal at 1:20 of overtime tied Hall of Famer Paul Coffey for the most points by a defenseman in franchise history with 440:
"It was a cool moment," said Letang, who's spoken of growing up idolizing Coffey's style. "Obviously, it was disappointing last season. It's good to start off that way."
And, actually, tying Coffey was only the second-most impressive part of his night. His second goal came after he recorded 25:41 of ice time, the most of any player not named John Carlson.
So much for managing the 31-year-old's minutes, eh?
Remember what Jim Rutherford told our Dejan Kovacevic back in June when some were openly wondering if Letang was damaged goods, or if he might part ways with -- apologies to Coffey and Larry Murphy -- the best defenseman in franchise history. That was never going to happen.
“We want to make sure we’re not overplaying our top pairing, especially Kris,” the GM said of Letang and Brian Dumoulin. "We had to rely too much on him in a lot of situations, and I think that’s where most of his mistakes were made. When he’s been at his best, it’s when his minutes have been managed and he’s been able to stay within himself.”
Those remarks stung Letang, a prideful player who has had to overcome more than his fair share of adversity, including a stroke and a neck surgery in February of 2017 that hindered his play last season. With a full summer of training to whip himself back into shape, he reminded once again what a dynamic athlete he is, logging 7:46 on the No. 1 power-play unit -- the power play, overall, went 2 for 6 -- and 2:13 short-handed, easily the most of any defenseman.
And yet, he was at his very best at five-on-five, highlighted by this advanced analytic: He was on the ice for 14 high-danger scoring chances generated by the Penguins, only three by the Capitals.
Again, that's even-strength.
He also was flying all over the rink, as he always does when at his best, even when protecting a two-goal lead in the third period:
All in all, it was a vintage performance from No. 58.
"He had a hell of a game," Dumoulin was telling me. "He was a force both offensively and defensively. It was good to see. He was tremendous out there. It was good to see him get rewarded."
It was Letang's first three-point effort in a regular-season game since Feb. 6, 2017, against the Jets. Five days later, he was shut down for the season by neck surgery as the Penguins would go on to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
If there is any reason why the Penguins should be better this season than in 2017-18, it's having a healthy and highly motivated Letang back.
"I'm happy for him because I know how hard he works," Mike Sullivan was saying. "I think it will be a good boost of confidence for him moving forward."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My top three performers (aside from Letang, obviously):
1. DERICK BRASSARD
Penguins center
Now, this was the Brassard the Penguins hoped to acquire at last February's trade deadline. If Thursday's win was cathartic for Letang, it was also for his fellow French-Canadian. Brassard was a disappointment after coming over from Ottawa, but he was also dealing with a groin injury that, by season's end, dropped him down to the fourth line.
Centering this third line with Dominik Simon and Bryan Rust, Brassard gave the Penguins a 5-4 lead at 16:58 of the second period when he banged in a rebound on Simon's shot from the blue line:
That line might have been the Penguins' finest, if not most consistent on Thursday. Rust brings an element of speed and Simon is an intelligent player, while Brassard has strong playmaking instincts. But he also can finish.
And as Sullivan was saying, it's not your typical third line, as Brassard would be a top-two center on most teams. He might never put up gaudy numbers in Pittsburgh, considering who's ahead of him on the depth chart, but he gives the Penguins the big three down the middle that they've been looking for ever since Jordan Staal's exit.
"I'm playing behind the two best players at my position or my generation," Brassard said. "I try to do my best. I'm not going to have the minutes I had in the past, but I'm OK with it. I have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. That's the only thing that matters."
2. JAKE GUENTZEL
Penguins left winger
If every game were against the Capitals or in the playoffs, Guentzel would be a legit Rocket Richard contender. He scored a power-play goal in the first and at even strength in the second. Dating back to last season's second-round series, he has six goals in his past seven games against the Capitals.
"It's what you're hoping for," Guentzel said of his start. "You wait all summer for this. When you can come out and bang in a couple, it gives you some confidence."
3. T.J. OSHIE
Capitals right winger
Was his first goal a gift turnover from Evgeni Malkin? Absolutely. Was his second goal a questionable tip that required video review? Sure. But he did score those two goals in 21 seconds in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit. Equally impressive, after scoring his two goals, he dove to the ice to glove a loose puck out of the Washington zone as the Penguins were threatening. Oshie might be a villain in Pittsburgh, but any team would love to have him.
THE INJURY UPDATE
• Brian Dumoulin, defenseman, did play, logging 16:07 of ice time, two assists and a minus-1 rating. He had been a game-time decision with an upper body injury sustained in last week's preseason finale at Columbus.
• Tristan Jarry, goalie, was scratched and wearing a suit and tie during pregame introductions. He didn't participate in the morning skate. He was designated as "injured non-roster" Tuesday and will remain in Pittsburgh while he recovers from a lower body injury sustained against the Blue Jackets last week. He'll surely be reassigned to Wilkes-Barre when healthy.
THE GOOD
Defense scoring. A lot of it. Four of the Penguins' seven goals came from their blueliners. Along with Letang's two goals, Oleksiak and Justin Schultz also scored.
True to his word earlier in the day, Sullivan employed his defensemen quite liberally, allowing them to pinch as warranted. Though it did cost them on John Carlson's second-period goal when Oleksiak got caught.
Last season, the Penguins received 16 goals from their defense corps in first half of the season and 22 over the final 41 games. Thursday was a welcome continuation.
THE BAD
The Penguins and Capitals have combined to win the past three Stanley Cup championships and, barring something unforeseen, both should be in contention to make it four in a row for the Metropolitan Division.
Play as they did Thursday, and scoring shouldn't be a problem for either. The only thing missing, besides Mario Lemieux and Mike Gartner, was defense.
Obviously, that's not all on the goaltenders but both Matt Murray and Braden Holtby struggled at the start. Murray allowed three goals on the first four shots he saw, including a long distance slap shot from Brooks Orpik, of all people, that beat him five-hole. It was the defensive defenseman's first regular-season goal since Feb. 26, 2016.
THE PLAY
No question, it was Letang's game-winner. But DK's also got a breakdown of Brassard's goal in the second period that involved some of the aforementioned pinching.
THE CALL
Sullivan was none too pleased with the Penguins' defensive performance. No coach would be after seeing his team give up six goals. Letang joked that Sullivan may have aged 10 years behind the bench.
But Sullivan really blew a gasket when Oshie's second goal was immediately waved off by referee Eric Furlatt and then ruled a goal.
The point of contention wasn't whether Oshie's stick was above the crossbar, but rather why it was initially ruled no-goal and then changed on the ice. Video replay confirmed it was, in fact, a good goal as the Capitals overcame a two-goal deficit in just 21 seconds late in the third period.
"When (the officials) convened on the ice, they overturned the original call to a goal and that's a big deal because if they're going to review the goal, it has to be definitive to overrule the call on the ice, otherwise the call on the ice stands," Sullivan said.
THE OTHER SIDE
No one is about to feel the least bit sorry for the Capitals. Not after winning the Stanley Cup last season. And certainly not after losing Tom Wilson to a 20-game suspension.
But Thursday night marked the first of a dozen sets of back-to-back games that the champions will play this season. The good news for the Capitals is that they will have only four of them following late-January's All-Star break.
Of course, the Penguins played 19 back-to-back games last season and struggled out of the gate.
After an emotional 7-0 win over the Bruins a night earlier in which the organization raised its first championship banner, the Capitals tacked on another half-dozen goals against the Penguins, but it wasn't enough.
All things considered, Todd Reirden was happy to come away with a point.
“You always, in back-to-backs, struggle a little bit with detail,” he said. “Our commitment to playing defense was nowhere near to what we did (Wednesday night). . . . But I’m really proud of our guys for being able to scratch and claw and tie that thing up and get a [standings] point out of here.”
With Wilson out until November, pending appeal, Brett Connelly skated on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Kuznetsov. While Connolly picked up the assist on Carlson's second-period goal that gave Washington a 4-3 lead, he is not Wilson.
For a rivalry game, this one had all the intensity -- and sloppy play -- of a preseason game.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins (1-0) will practice Friday at noon at the Lemieux Sports Complex. They will host the Canadiens (0-0-1) at 7:08 p.m. Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything from this game.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Capitals, PPG Paints Arena, Oct. 4, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS