The New York Rangers were able to put their season-opening loss to the Boston Bruins behind them on Thursday, and it all stems from how they ended their season opener. During that game there were some positives, but the countless odd man rushes, spotty defense, and lack of capitalizing on scoring chances doomed them, resulting in a 3-0 shutout loss. It was just one game into the season, and following Thursday's historic win there are 82 games left for them to turn things around and stack some victories.
As the Rangers and the fanbase awaited the home opener, there was an opportunity to scout how some of their rivals are doing. It just so happens that there was a huge Metropolitan Division matchup on Wednesday, with the Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last season's first-round series.
There was one team that looked very much legitimate, and it wasn't the Flyers. It was the Penguins, coached by former assistant Dan Muse.
Penguins blow out Flyers to show last season wasn't a fluke
The Penguins, much like the Flyers, surprised the NHL world by making it into the playoffs. The Penguins finished in second place in the Metropolitan Division, after being considered a lottery team entering the season. They were also ridiculed a bit after a coaching search resulted in them hiring Muse, who was part of Peter Laviolette's staff in New York.
On Wednesday night, they went to prove to the hockey world that last season wasn't a fluke. And did they ever prove it.
The Penguins defeated the Flyers 7-0 in Philadelphia. It was such a complete victory for Pittsburgh, who outclassed Philadelphia in every aspect of the game, which is what head coach Rick Tocchet admitted after the game.
Out of their 18 skaters, the Penguins saw 14 of them record at least one point. The crazy thing is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin didn't have the most points on the team, as they both only had one. Filip Hallander, who had played a total of 16 games in three previous seasons with the Penguins, scored a goal and dished out two assists in the win. One game in, and Hallander is just one point away from matching his 2025-26 season total. Nick Robertson, Pittsburgh's offseason acquisition, scored a team-high two goals in his debut with the team.
Pittsburgh only had 11 giveaways as opposed to Philadelphia's 21. Arturs Silovs, meanwhile, stopped all 19 shots faced.
Penguins are winning the Mike Sullivan vs. Dan Muse decision early on
At the end of the 2024-25 season, Mike Sullivan and the Penguins agreed it was best that both sides move on. The Rangers made it no secret over the years that they would go after Sullivan if he were to become available. After all, Sullivan and general manager Chris Drury worked together for USA hockey. The Rangers hired Sullivan, hoping he can turn the team around and bring them back into Stanley Cup contention.
The first year under Sullivan proved that he wasn't a miracle worker when it came to the roster he had to deal with during the 2025-26 season. The Rangers careened into last place in the Eastern Conference with a 34-39-9 record. That resulted in them missing the playoffs and the team entering a retool, while securing the fifth overall pick.
Meanwhile Muse, who was scapegoated alongside Laviolette after the 2024-25 season, shined in his first year as a head coach in the NHL. Muse led the Penguins to a second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 41-25-16 record for 98 points in 82 games.
Add us as a preferred source on Google