Pittsburgh Won 6-5 — But Blowing a 5-1 Lead Is the Part That Should Scare the Penguins
GOATIFYPittsburgh left its home opener with a 2-0 record, six goals and an overtime celebration. It also left with a warning that was impossible to hide. The Penguins led Montreal 5-1 late in the second period, watched the Canadiens erase the entire margin, and needed Tommy Novak to rescue a 6-5 win 1:33 into overtime.
That makes the result more useful than a comfortable victory would have been. Pittsburgh showed enough offensive depth to overwhelm Montreal for a long stretch, but it also showed how quickly control can disappear when exits get loose, pressure drops and a skilled opponent is allowed to attack in waves. Novak’s winner banked the second point. The blown lead is the part the Penguins should study.
Pittsburgh’s second period showed how dangerous this offense can be
For roughly 25 minutes, Pittsburgh looked capable of turning the home opener into a rout. After Cole Caufield gave Montreal the first goal, Evgeni Malkin answered on the power play. Then the second period became a wave: Declan Carlile scored 32 seconds in, Samuel Girard made it 3-1, Novak finished a 2-on-1 for the fourth goal and Ben Kindel’s power-play deflection pushed the margin to 5-1.
The useful part was not simply that five goals went in. Pittsburgh got them from different layers of the lineup and through different types of attack. Malkin converted around the crease, defensemen joined the scoring, Novak punished transition space and Kindel gave the power play another interior option. That variety matters because it prevents opponents from solving the Penguins by loading every defensive decision toward Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh also outshot Montreal 23-5 during a 25-minute stretch. That is the clearest evidence that the four-goal lead was not built on random finishing. The Penguins were controlling possession, recovering pucks and turning repeated zone time into chances.
For a roster that opened the season with a 7-0 win in Philadelphia, the surge reinforced an encouraging early theme: Pittsburgh can still create offense in bunches. The question is whether the team can pair that explosiveness with the discipline required to close games once the scoreboard tilts heavily in its favor.
Montreal’s comeback exposed the difference between a big lead and actual control
Nick Suzuki’s goal late in the second period changed the emotional shape of the game. At 5-2, Montreal still needed a near-perfect third period, but the Canadiens had enough elite skill to make Pittsburgh defend rather than simply manage the clock. Caufield cut the lead again early in the third, and the Penguins never fully restored the territorial control that had created the 5-1 advantage.
The final 68 seconds were the real alarm. With the extra attacker on, Suzuki created two goals in 24 seconds. He found Chris Kreider for the 5-4 goal and then threaded a pass through the crease to Ivan Demidov for the equalizer with 44 seconds left. Pittsburgh knew exactly what Montreal needed and still could not close the interior passing lanes.
That does not erase the good work that built the lead. It does reveal a different skill the Penguins still need to prove: protecting a game without becoming passive. Teams that sit too deep invite repeated entries, lose clean exits and eventually turn every blocked shot or rebound into another defensive-zone shift.
Montreal deserves credit for the comeback. Suzuki finished with four points, Caufield scored twice and the Canadiens kept attacking after a 5-1 deficit could easily have ended the night. Pittsburgh’s lesson is that a multi-goal lead is not permission to stop dictating where the game is played.
Novak and Malkin turned a collapse into two points
Once Montreal forced overtime, Pittsburgh needed a play that reset the night rather than replayed the collapse. Malkin and Novak produced it. On a 2-on-1, Malkin moved the puck across the defender and Novak finished from the right circle at 1:33. It was Novak’s second goal and third point of the game.
The combination is worth watching beyond the winner. Malkin, now in his 21st NHL season, finished with a goal and two assists and moved past Dale Hawerchuk with career point No. 1,411. Novak gives that veteran skill a direct, mobile finisher who can attack open ice rather than waiting for a static setup. Their chemistry can help Pittsburgh create a second offensive engine behind the Crosby line.
That is especially valuable over a long season. Crosby cannot be the answer to every difficult game, and Pittsburgh’s best versions have always had another line capable of changing the matchup. If Malkin can still manipulate defenders and Novak keeps turning those reads into goals, the Penguins become much harder to defend than a team built around one aging superstar.
The overtime goal should not excuse the blown lead. It should be understood as evidence of another strength. Pittsburgh made a mess of the final period and still had enough high-end decision-making to win the next important shift.
The milestones matter because Pittsburgh is trying to win while its core ages
The scoreboard was chaotic enough to overshadow two pieces of history. Crosby recorded career assist No. 1,109, tying Joe Thornton for seventh on the NHL’s all-time list. Malkin’s three-point night moved him past Hawerchuk for 22nd in career points. Those numbers underline the unusual position Pittsburgh occupies.
This is not a normal young team learning how to close games. Its two defining stars have already played more than two decades of NHL hockey. Every season now carries two timelines at once: the organization needs younger players to take larger roles, but Crosby and Malkin are still productive enough that wasting competitive seasons would be difficult to justify.
That makes nights like this more revealing. Kindel scoring after returning from injured reserve is a positive sign. Carlile and Girard contributing goals matters. Novak becoming a decisive top-six player matters. Pittsburgh needs those contributions precisely because the veteran core should no longer have to manufacture every win by itself.
A 2-0 start is a good beginning, especially after the 7-0 opener in Philadelphia. The 6-5 follow-up is a reminder that the Penguins’ ceiling will depend on more than offense. If the younger and newer pieces can help turn leads into controlled finishes, Crosby and Malkin’s milestone season can still be about the standings rather than nostalgia.
Pittsburgh can take real positives from a 2-0 start. Novak looks comfortable in an important role, Malkin is producing, Crosby is still climbing historic lists and young contributors are adding offense around them. Those are not small things for a team trying to stay competitive while evolving its roster.
But the home opener also delivered a clean warning. A 5-1 lead should become a controlled finish, not an overtime coin flip. Novak made sure the Penguins escaped with the win. The next step is making sure they do not need another rescue.
