CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The 2021-22 NHL season is just 10 games old, but the change in the Penguins' penalty-kill already is hard to miss.
Even though there haven't been any major adjustments to their philosophy or tactics, the difference in their success while playing shorthanded is striking.
Which is to say, they're actually having some.
The Penguins will enter their game in Chicago Tuesday at 8:38 p.m. with the top-ranked penalty-kill in the NHL; they have given up just two goals in 24 shorthanded situations, a kill rate of 91.7 percent.
That's a dramatic upgrade over 2020-21, when their 77.4 success rate was the NHL's fifth-worst.
Zach Aston-Reese, a fixture on the unit, believes several factors have contributed to the improvement.
"Last year, we brought in some new staff," he said. "(Previously), we had Jacques (Martin) running it, then (Mike) Vellucci came in, and it's going to be a little different. There are going to be some different tendencies that we want to execute.
"Last year was a little bit more of a learning process for us, between coaches and players and (understanding) what he wanted. We know what to expect this year. Having (Brock McGinn) and (Brian Boyle), too. They're really good with paying close attention to detail. I know that last year, some of the guys had a little bit more speed and might have looked to get offense a little bit more, but this year, it seems like we're more worried about just keeping the puck out of our net."
Predictably enough, doing that more effectively was an offseason priority for Mike Sullivan and his staff.
"It's something we worked at this summer," acting head coach Todd Reirden said. "I think Mike Vellucci has done a really good job of delivering the message. The buy-in from the players and from our entire staff ... this was a point of emphasis and, obviously, the results speak for themselves. There are still areas to improve -- it's early in the season -- but certainly, we like the start."
The same can't be said of the power play, which has been missing many of its key members through the first four weeks of the season because of injuries and illness and is converting just 11.8 percent of its chances. That puts it 24th in the league.
Last season, the power play placed fourth in the NHL by capitalizing on 23.7 percent of its opportunities.
"The numbers are not where we want them to be," Reirden said. "For us, it's a little bit of the consistency of (not) having the same players, the chemistry we had started to have as the year went on last year. It was really a difference-maker for us."
It has been, at times, this year, too. Just not in the same way.
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• Not surprisingly, given how their 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild Saturday played out, the Penguins devoted parts of the practice to playing 5-on-6 and shootout-style breakaways. "Part of it is the limited amount you see (5-on-6 situations, compared to penalty-kills)," Mike Matheson said. "I think you're 5-on-4 a lot more often than you're 5-on-6, so maybe we focused on that a little bit more through practice. So maybe our timing wasn't there. Maybe our roles and responsibilities weren't as clear (as they should be) and maybe, as players, we weren't as adept (at executing) what those roles and responsibilities were. Obviously, we got exposed, and that was unacceptable."
• Juuso Riikola, who made it into just two games last season, is expected to play in his fourth in a row against the Blackhawks. "Every game, I feel better," he said. "The more minutes you get, the more you feel like you're playing games again. The more games I play, I think I'm going to feel better and better."
• The game in Chicago will be the Penguins' first on the road since Oct. 14 at Florida; they have played the past eight at home. "It hasn't quite felt like a regular season yet, in that aspect, just because we haven't been on the road very much," Matheson said. "As nice as it is to be at home and be in that routine for a little while, I think it will be good for us to get away and be on planes together, be in the hotel together and, hopefully, jell a little more."
• Reirden said there is no change in the status of the personnel in the COVID-19 protocol. They are Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel and Sullivan.
• Aston-Reese does not have a goal in eight games, making him the only Penguins forward to appear in more than five games without scoring. "It's been a little frustrating," he said. "My hands have not felt up to par, where I want them. I feel as if, offensively, I could do a lot better job holding onto pucks and just have better hands around the net." He added that, "I know the offense will come eventually."
• Evgeni Malkin, who is recovering from knee surgery, worked out on the ice for the better part of an hour before his teammates practiced. He has been skating with skills coach Ty Hennes for a while.
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel-Jeff Carter-Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker-Evan Rodrigues-Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brock McGinn
Drew O'Connor-Brian Boyle-Danton Heinen
Mike Matheson-Kris Letang
P.O Joseph-John Marino
Juuso Riikola-Mark Friedman
No. 1 power play: Letang, Carter, Guentzel, Rust, Kapanen
No. 2 power play: Rodrigues, Heinen, Zucker, Riikola, O'Connor