• Arturs Silovs was the Penguins' better goaltender in the last two weeks before the break, going 4-3-1 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average, compared to Stuart Skinner's 3-2 record with an .840 save percentage and 3.99 goals-against average, and so Silovs earned the first start out of the break. That trust in him was rewarded, as he stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 4-1 win and conceded only a deflection (that may or may not have been goaltender interference). I asked him if he got any confidence from that gesture by Dan Muse to roll with him out of the break: "I already felt pretty confident," he shrugged. "The way I practice, the way I play. It's great to get opportunity like that and try to capitalize on that."
• A mixed bag of a debut for Sam Girard, with a team-high four blocks but a team-high three giveaways. Girard acknowledged after that it's still going to "take me a little bit" to adjust to a new system and new partner after only having one practice, and that he leaned on Kris Letang for things like knowing what their calls even mean off of things like faceoffs.
• One idea: Keep having kids? Three Penguins have had babies in-season, and all three scored in their next game -- Justin Brazeau earlier this year, and then both Egor Chinakhov and Blake Lizotte tonight. I asked Chinakhov if he felt any added "dad strength," and he said he needed a nap. He saved the puck from the goal, and since Evgeni Malkin assisted on it, he wants Malkin to autograph it before giving it to his daughter.
THE ASYLUM
Three observations: Trust in Silovs rewarded
• Arturs Silovs was the Penguins' better goaltender in the last two weeks before the break, going 4-3-1 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average, compared to Stuart Skinner's 3-2 record with an .840 save percentage and 3.99 goals-against average, and so Silovs earned the first start out of the break. That trust in him was rewarded, as he stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 4-1 win and conceded only a deflection (that may or may not have been goaltender interference). I asked him if he got any confidence from that gesture by Dan Muse to roll with him out of the break: "I already felt pretty confident," he shrugged. "The way I practice, the way I play. It's great to get opportunity like that and try to capitalize on that."
• A mixed bag of a debut for Sam Girard, with a team-high four blocks but a team-high three giveaways. Girard acknowledged after that it's still going to "take me a little bit" to adjust to a new system and new partner after only having one practice, and that he leaned on Kris Letang for things like knowing what their calls even mean off of things like faceoffs.
• One idea: Keep having kids? Three Penguins have had babies in-season, and all three scored in their next game -- Justin Brazeau earlier this year, and then both Egor Chinakhov and Blake Lizotte tonight. I asked Chinakhov if he felt any added "dad strength," and he said he needed a nap. He saved the puck from the goal, and since Evgeni Malkin assisted on it, he wants Malkin to autograph it before giving it to his daughter.
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