Sam Poulin came out of the Penguins' preseason opener here at Bell Centre a little worse for wear.
He stood in the locker room afterward with the start of a black eye on his right side, already starting to swell shut. He had another bruise developing on his left cheek, and a giant scrape down the side of his nose.
Despite the damage, he still had a smile:
"I got a couple of punches in the face," he told me. "But I'll survive. I'll be fine."
It was otherwise a relatively quiet game for Poulin, who skated on the left side of the fourth line alongside Ben Kindel and Boko Imama in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Canadiens. But Poulin did show one element that he could bring to the lineup, and that's some real grit.
He dropped the gloves with Montreal's Jared Davidson in the second period, and it looked like it was going to be a brief bout. Davidson pulled Poulin to the ice only six seconds in, and officials began to step in to break it up before Poulin got back up swinging:
"I finished my check, and the other guy wasn't too happy about it, I think," Poulin said. "He just asked me, and we went at it."
When the Penguins drafted Poulin in the first round in 2019, they were drafting a well-rounded, two-way player, someone who could perhaps one day be a regular in the middle-six. But as Poulin enters his fifth professional season, he's still looking to carve out a role at the NHL level -- and grit is one way he could set himself apart.
It wasn't Poulin's first fight -- he's dropped the gloves four times in his career in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and once in junior. But in this exhibition season, it's a reminder of what he's willing to do.
"It's always good to be able to do it," Poulin said of fighting. "Right now, it's still preseason, it's far from the playoffs. But in the playoffs, it's something that teams are going to like. If I can bring that to my team, I'll do it."
That's not to say that Poulin is going to turn into an enforcer. But as he shapes the kind of identity he could have at the NHL level, the tough stuff could certainly be a piece.
"I've got to play my game and have some physicality to it," Poulin said of that identity. "Fighting, doing that kind of stuff is an identity of mine. That's what I've showed today."
Dan Muse told me afterward that it's up to every player here to choose which facets of their identity they show the coaching staff through this process. And in Poulin's case, he made an impression in that regard.
"He's out there tonight, he's working," Muse said. "Working on the puck, working away from the puck. He goes out there and gets in a fight. He's trying to be noticed, it's good by him. That's what you want out of these things."
Poulin looks stronger coming into camp. He didn't put on weight, but rather leaned out and kept the good weight. His 6-foot-2 frame is still filled out at around 215-220 pounds, dropping about 10 pounds over the summer. He's in better shape, but still big and strong enough to step up like he did tonight.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Tristan Broz's goal was a pretty one from the right circle on the power play, set up by a smart one-touch pushback from Valtteri Puustinen:
"Just a good entry on the power play," Broz said after. "A good play by everybody. Passed it to Puusty, and he got it right back to me and I just shot it in. A good play. A lot of talent on the ice."
Broz scored the Penguins' lone goal in the shootout, too, picking up where he left off in the Prospects Challenge as one of the most productive players. He killed penalties, too.
• Broz, skating as first-line center, won nine of his 20 faceoffs, encouraging from a second-year pro against NHL players. That, plus his production and ability to play in a lot of different situations, makes him a good candidate to replace Kevin Hayes while he's hurt.
• Back to Puustinen's assist ... it'd be nice to see him shoot it sometimes, too. He had one shot on goal, which was also his lone attempt. His biggest issue the past few seasons was not shooting when he had a chance. He's going to have to shoot more.
• In Harrison Brunicke's first few games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton late this past AHL season, and even occasionally in the Prospects Challenge earlier this month, he was a victim of "doing too much," as he'd acknowledge. He was making mistakes because he was still learning what he could and could not get away with at higher levels, against better players. There was none of that here. He was solid. But he didn't have to sacrifice offense, leading the Penguins in shots (six) and tied for the lead in shot attempts (10), in addition to having the secondary assist on Broz's power-play goal.
Brunicke skated on the right side of a pairing with Owen Pickering, a possible glimpse into the future.
"They did well," Muse said of Brunicke and Pickering. "You saw some times there, they got moving in the offensive zone. They were able to get some motion. The D corps as a whole, especially early on, the breakouts were good. Guys were working to support each other. Overall, it was a solid night there for them."
• I wrote at the Prospects Challenge that the public concern over Ben Kindel's skating was very over-the-top, and I'm reiterating that after seeing him here. He definitely needs to add lower-body strength ... along with just about every other 18-year-old prospect. But his speed was there. He had one shot on goal within four attempts and skated on the power play. He'll definitely go back to junior in the next week or two, but this was a good first experience of NHL action.
"He did well," Muse said. "I thought it was very much in line with what we've seen here in the practices so far. He gets to the right areas, gets himself in good positions. He gets the puck on his stick. He can find guys around him. You think about his age, being in this building, first NHL exhibition game ... that's a lot. And I thought that he handled himself well."
• Early in the game there was a moment where there was a loose puck in the Canadiens' crease, and Kindel went after it. He got pushed around in the process, until Boko Imama stepped in and handled business (and got a roughing penalty for it). I didn't see Kindel get pushed around after that.
In speaking with Rutger McGroarty last season, he told me there was a real difference in how the younger players were treated by opponents in the AHL when Imama was there compared to when he wasn't. When Imama was there, McGroarty felt, they weren't as likely to be targeted physically (or just in chirping) from opponents. If the Penguins are to get younger this season, keeping the 29-year-old Imama might seem counterintuitive, but he could legitimately help ease the transition process for those younger players. And if it is to be a down season, then Imama's infectious positivity is just another bonus.
"He can bring energy in everything he does," Muse said of Imama. "You see it every day in practice. You see it in games. The job that he does out there, playing physical, getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net, there's an element there with his physicality. But also just as a person, he's a guy that can create energy on the bench. He can create energy in a lot of different ways."
THE ASYLUM
Preseason takeaways: Poulin shows toughness
Sam Poulin came out of the Penguins' preseason opener here at Bell Centre a little worse for wear.
He stood in the locker room afterward with the start of a black eye on his right side, already starting to swell shut. He had another bruise developing on his left cheek, and a giant scrape down the side of his nose.
Despite the damage, he still had a smile:
"I got a couple of punches in the face," he told me. "But I'll survive. I'll be fine."
It was otherwise a relatively quiet game for Poulin, who skated on the left side of the fourth line alongside Ben Kindel and Boko Imama in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Canadiens. But Poulin did show one element that he could bring to the lineup, and that's some real grit.
He dropped the gloves with Montreal's Jared Davidson in the second period, and it looked like it was going to be a brief bout. Davidson pulled Poulin to the ice only six seconds in, and officials began to step in to break it up before Poulin got back up swinging:
"I finished my check, and the other guy wasn't too happy about it, I think," Poulin said. "He just asked me, and we went at it."
When the Penguins drafted Poulin in the first round in 2019, they were drafting a well-rounded, two-way player, someone who could perhaps one day be a regular in the middle-six. But as Poulin enters his fifth professional season, he's still looking to carve out a role at the NHL level -- and grit is one way he could set himself apart.
It wasn't Poulin's first fight -- he's dropped the gloves four times in his career in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and once in junior. But in this exhibition season, it's a reminder of what he's willing to do.
"It's always good to be able to do it," Poulin said of fighting. "Right now, it's still preseason, it's far from the playoffs. But in the playoffs, it's something that teams are going to like. If I can bring that to my team, I'll do it."
That's not to say that Poulin is going to turn into an enforcer. But as he shapes the kind of identity he could have at the NHL level, the tough stuff could certainly be a piece.
"I've got to play my game and have some physicality to it," Poulin said of that identity. "Fighting, doing that kind of stuff is an identity of mine. That's what I've showed today."
Dan Muse told me afterward that it's up to every player here to choose which facets of their identity they show the coaching staff through this process. And in Poulin's case, he made an impression in that regard.
"He's out there tonight, he's working," Muse said. "Working on the puck, working away from the puck. He goes out there and gets in a fight. He's trying to be noticed, it's good by him. That's what you want out of these things."
Poulin looks stronger coming into camp. He didn't put on weight, but rather leaned out and kept the good weight. His 6-foot-2 frame is still filled out at around 215-220 pounds, dropping about 10 pounds over the summer. He's in better shape, but still big and strong enough to step up like he did tonight.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Tristan Broz's goal was a pretty one from the right circle on the power play, set up by a smart one-touch pushback from Valtteri Puustinen:
"Just a good entry on the power play," Broz said after. "A good play by everybody. Passed it to Puusty, and he got it right back to me and I just shot it in. A good play. A lot of talent on the ice."
Broz scored the Penguins' lone goal in the shootout, too, picking up where he left off in the Prospects Challenge as one of the most productive players. He killed penalties, too.
• Broz, skating as first-line center, won nine of his 20 faceoffs, encouraging from a second-year pro against NHL players. That, plus his production and ability to play in a lot of different situations, makes him a good candidate to replace Kevin Hayes while he's hurt.
• Back to Puustinen's assist ... it'd be nice to see him shoot it sometimes, too. He had one shot on goal, which was also his lone attempt. His biggest issue the past few seasons was not shooting when he had a chance. He's going to have to shoot more.
• In Harrison Brunicke's first few games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton late this past AHL season, and even occasionally in the Prospects Challenge earlier this month, he was a victim of "doing too much," as he'd acknowledge. He was making mistakes because he was still learning what he could and could not get away with at higher levels, against better players. There was none of that here. He was solid. But he didn't have to sacrifice offense, leading the Penguins in shots (six) and tied for the lead in shot attempts (10), in addition to having the secondary assist on Broz's power-play goal.
Brunicke skated on the right side of a pairing with Owen Pickering, a possible glimpse into the future.
"They did well," Muse said of Brunicke and Pickering. "You saw some times there, they got moving in the offensive zone. They were able to get some motion. The D corps as a whole, especially early on, the breakouts were good. Guys were working to support each other. Overall, it was a solid night there for them."
• I wrote at the Prospects Challenge that the public concern over Ben Kindel's skating was very over-the-top, and I'm reiterating that after seeing him here. He definitely needs to add lower-body strength ... along with just about every other 18-year-old prospect. But his speed was there. He had one shot on goal within four attempts and skated on the power play. He'll definitely go back to junior in the next week or two, but this was a good first experience of NHL action.
"He did well," Muse said. "I thought it was very much in line with what we've seen here in the practices so far. He gets to the right areas, gets himself in good positions. He gets the puck on his stick. He can find guys around him. You think about his age, being in this building, first NHL exhibition game ... that's a lot. And I thought that he handled himself well."
• Early in the game there was a moment where there was a loose puck in the Canadiens' crease, and Kindel went after it. He got pushed around in the process, until Boko Imama stepped in and handled business (and got a roughing penalty for it). I didn't see Kindel get pushed around after that.
In speaking with Rutger McGroarty last season, he told me there was a real difference in how the younger players were treated by opponents in the AHL when Imama was there compared to when he wasn't. When Imama was there, McGroarty felt, they weren't as likely to be targeted physically (or just in chirping) from opponents. If the Penguins are to get younger this season, keeping the 29-year-old Imama might seem counterintuitive, but he could legitimately help ease the transition process for those younger players. And if it is to be a down season, then Imama's infectious positivity is just another bonus.
"He can bring energy in everything he does," Muse said of Imama. "You see it every day in practice. You see it in games. The job that he does out there, playing physical, getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net, there's an element there with his physicality. But also just as a person, he's a guy that can create energy on the bench. He can create energy in a lot of different ways."
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