Valtteri Puustinen told me this morning that he had a "really good feeling" coming into the Penguins' game against the Devils here at the Prudential Center.
"I'm so excited for tonight," he said with that familiar big smile. "I'm ready for the game to start."
It didn't take long to show it. After a terrible start, a New Jersey own-goal brought the Penguins back within one, after which Puustinen contributed his part in the eventual 4-2 victory:
It was a deflection off Puustinen's foot, but he got it by being at the right place at the right time and being willing to go to that tough area. In practice Thursday, he rotated between being at the left circle and at the bumper, and he was at the bumper here for his first power-play opportunity, timing his push to the paint perfectly for when Evgeni Malkin's point shot came off Jake Allen.
It was Puustinen's second goal in the NHL this season, the other coming back in October.
"I thought Puusty had a solid game," Mike Sullivan told me. "I thought he did some good things at five-on-five, he was skating. I think he sees it pretty good, he thinks the game pretty well. He scores a goal for us on the power play. He was pretty good in that bumper position on Geno's unit."
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
2:34 am - 04.12.2025Newark, N.J.Drive to the Net: Puustinen the bumper
Valtteri Puustinen told me this morning that he had a "really good feeling" coming into the Penguins' game against the Devils here at the Prudential Center.
"I'm so excited for tonight," he said with that familiar big smile. "I'm ready for the game to start."
It didn't take long to show it. After a terrible start, a New Jersey own-goal brought the Penguins back within one, after which Puustinen contributed his part in the eventual 4-2 victory:
It was a deflection off Puustinen's foot, but he got it by being at the right place at the right time and being willing to go to that tough area. In practice Thursday, he rotated between being at the left circle and at the bumper, and he was at the bumper here for his first power-play opportunity, timing his push to the paint perfectly for when Evgeni Malkin's point shot came off Jake Allen.
It was Puustinen's second goal in the NHL this season, the other coming back in October.
"I thought Puusty had a solid game," Mike Sullivan told me. "I thought he did some good things at five-on-five, he was skating. I think he sees it pretty good, he thinks the game pretty well. He scores a goal for us on the power play. He was pretty good in that bumper position on Geno's unit."
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