pittsburgh. It wasn’t Erik Karlsson’s dream debut in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins lost to Chicago newcomer Connor Bedard – himself, despite having good opportunities, failed to leave any mark on the scoring sheet.
“Things went well from one moment to the next, but it seems we have little work left to do,” he told Sportbladet after the bitter 4-2 loss.
It was an opening night that Pittsburgh had been looking forward to with particular enthusiasm since the exciting late-summer announcement that the Penguins had secured Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson — and the cheers in PPG Paints Arena reached Concorde decibel levels when the 33-year-old small-town old man slid onto the ice. During the team’s presentation before the first down in the home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
I started losing
But the party was over, because although they led 2-0 at the end of the second half, they were eventually beaten 4-2.
– Yes, it turns out that way, Ek65 says with a slight sigh when we meet him in the dressing room afterwards.
-We were fine from one moment to the next, but it seems like we have less left to work on and we need to play together more. When we play the way we want, we see how good we are. It’s just that we do it longer and get a little smarter.
Erik himself couldn’t add any points to the premiere, but he did create good chances and put up some odd numbers that made new fans catch their breath – and above all, a stunning equalizer on the blue line in a solid first play of the evening followed by a raid on the castle and a shooting at Petr Mrazek In the visitors box.
– I created some good chances and I have to keep doing that, and the ball will probably drop in the end, but I can’t score on everything there, he continues.
– It’s just a matter of working with that part and with the other part and then hopefully everything can be worked out together as quickly as possible.
First NHL point for Bedard
The game in Pittsburgh also means, at the very least, a debut for Connor Bedard – just an 18-year-old superstar talent who is expected to be the next Connor McDavid and thus was selected first by the Blackhawks in this summer’s draft.
He certainly made an impression with his energy and enthusiasm. The youngster made eleven shot attempts and recorded five shots on goal – and finally was able to cap the performance with the first point of his NHL career, in the form of an assist.
– This is a moment that I have been thinking about all my life and now it has already passed. It’s a bit sad that way, he said during a somewhat chaotic news conference.
– But it was pretty cool, just being on the ice against the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson was a special feeling.
It was at least partly mutual, it seems, in the end.
“He looked comfortable there, it seemed,” Eric says.
– Overall, I think Chicago played well, I have to say that. They kept the puck and were smart when they needed to be.
And now the Swedish star is reloading for the next assignment with the Penguin Squadron – in Washington on Saturday night.
– Yes, the first match is over. Things didn’t go the way we wanted, but now we have something to work on and look forward to in Washington.
Erik’s back partner, Marcus Pettersson, accounted for the only blue-yellow point of the evening – an assist for Sidney Crosby’s first goal of the season.