The Penguins kicked off the preseason with a 2-1 shootout loss against the Canadiens. The Penguins showcased a bit of the opening night roster and some top prospects that are fighting to earn their spot on the rosters.
The game featured the likes of Tristan Broz, Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke, Anthony Mantha, Robby Fabbri, Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist.
The lone goal came from Tristan Broz who scored a give and go power-play goal from Valtteri Puustinen and Harrison Brunicke. The Dan Muse power-play system featured a 1-3-1 umbrella system with the puck going around the the middle to the quarterback at the point.
FIRST GOAL OF THE PRESEASON! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Uw3DfuV9In
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 22, 2025
Losers of the game:
Ryan Graves
Ryan Graves has had a lot to prove coming into tonight's game and he was far from good. If anything, he was the exact opposite. Graves was extremely underwhelming and made simple mistakes that any NHL level defenseman shouldn't be making on any level specially making a $4.5 million AAV cap hit.
Matthew Dumba
Dumba started off the game with some strong board play and tried to line up some big hits and brought that physical element. He was the reason Montreal tied the game in the third period. He tried to swat the puck out of danger and instead took out Sergei Murashov to the point where he is flat on his back and could only do so much and allowed for Owen Beck to tie it.
Samuel Poulin
Poulin except for his fight in the game showed very little in what he has to bring. A change of scenery is most likely best for Poulin as he has not been able to establish himself in the organization. His speed last night was not there and his hands weren't on point.
Winners of the Game
Tristan Broz
Broz looked like he fit right in and was centered that first line. Dan Muse clearly has heavy amounts of trust in Broz as he was featured on the PK and PP. He also scored the lone goal in regulation and scored the lone goal in the shootout. If Broz continues to play this way, we could see him on the roster come game one against the Rangers.
Dom't underestimate Broz. I don't think there's a forward quite like him in the Penguins' organization.
— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) September 22, 2025
He's a very responsible player in all three zones, and he was having a great year with WBS last season before his bout with mono.
Sergei Murashov
Sergei Murashov had all eyes on him as he entered the net halfway through the second period. He did not dissapoint Penguins fans, he stopped 19/20 and made some acrobatic saves that he had no reason making. He made some key saves in overtime on Jake Evans that any goalie would have trouble saving. Murashov for sure opened a lot of eyes around the organization.
Murashov looks a lot like 2006 Fleury.
— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) September 23, 2025
Harrison Brunicke
Brunicke opened eyes of Penguins fans and had people talking about if he should be on the opening night roster. Brunicke looked in his own element and looks primed for a roster spot on the NHL roster. Brunicke will have another showcase opportunity during the 2026 IIHF World Juniors as he is a lock to play alongside 2025 first overall selection Matthew Schaefer. Brunicke is in the same position as Broz. Sending Brunicke back to the CHL would be a shame.
Harrison Brunicke registered an assist on the lone Penguins goal, took 6 shots on goal, recorded a block + hit and on top of that—registered the second-most minutes on the team (21:34).
— ChelPenguins (@ChelPenguins) September 23, 2025
He looked like a strong-skating, top-pairing defensemen. No reason he shouldn’t make it. pic.twitter.com/fHluWbA9BS
The Penguins will continue preseason action as they head up to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7:00 p.m. and will be featured on the NHL Network and ESPN+.