With the first two weeks of the 2024-25 regular season in the books, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting at a 3-4-0 record in their first seven games. While they are hovering around the .500 mark so far, there have been plenty of positives to look at. This includes milestones being hit by a few veterans. But there are plenty of negatives too, including the troubles regarding goaltender Tristan Jarry and his play to begin the season. Let’s look at some ups and downs so far for the Penguins.
Plus 1/Minus 1: Rutger McGroarty
The first thing to look at is a two-sided coin regarding Rutger McGroarty. Yes, the Penguins’ big offseason acquisition did not make it very far into the season before being sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL), but at the same time, it is a positive. When McGroarty was with the Penguins, he could not get himself into a position to help produce, dressing in three of the four games he was in the NHL. He only saw, on average, 11:37 of ice time per game and failed to record a point.
The positive side to him being sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is that he should earn more ice time and the opportunity to get himself better established as a professional player. He has played two games for the “Baby Pens” and has yet to record a point. Time will only tell how things will work out for the 20-year-old, but he also has time to develop his game and prove himself more capable of becoming a vital piece for the NHL club.
Plus 1: Milestones for Veteran Players
Heading into the season, there were a handful of individual milestones for Penguins fans to keep an eye on, and it did not take long for Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to each reach theirs, earning their 500th career goal and 1,600th career points, respectively in the same game against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 16. Malkin reaching the 500-goal mark puts him in rarified air among active players, becoming the fourth active player to reach the milestone (he joins Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Steven Stamkos). For Crosby, he became the only active player to achieve the 1,600-career point mark and is the fifth fastest in league history.
Related: Penguins Milestones to Watch for in the 2024-25 Season
There are plenty of milestones to continue tracking as the season progresses. So, even if things do go south at some point this season, fans still have some things to look forward…
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