Mike Sullivan-coached Rangers rout Penguins, 6-1

Matt Vensel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 11, 2025

Published in Hockey

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PITTSBURGH — The Penguins got Bryan Rust back in the lineup Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. They got a goal from Ben Kindel, too. It was the 18-year-old forward’s first in the NHL.

But it wasn’t enough to lift the undisciplined Penguins past the New York Rangers. They got thumped, 6-1, in Saturday’s rematch against Mike Sullivan’s new squad.

With the loss, their bid for an undefeated campaign came up 80 games short.

After they gave up a short-handed goal to Mika Zibanejad in the first, the Penguins pulled even with the Rangers when Kindel lit the lamp 3:04 into the second period.

The impressive rookie skated in 1-on-2 and let a wrist shot go from the right circle. It fooled New York’s All-Star goalie, Igor Shesterkin, who got beat on his glove side.

It was the second straight game in which a teenaged Penguins player tallied his first NHL goal. Harrison Brunicke scored his in Thursday’s win over the New York Islanders.

Kindel tried to contain his grin as he skated to the home bench for fist bumps.

The good vibes did not last long inside PPG Paints Arena. The Rangers pumped in three goals on starter Arturs Silovs before the end of the second to take a 4-1 lead.

There was a parade of Penguins to the penalty box in that period. They took four penalties, including a blatant too-many-men call. The visitors capitalized on two.

Silovs, who shut out the Rangers in New York on Tuesday, let a couple of long shots by him. The 24-year-old seemed to have trouble tracking the puck through traffic.

The Rangers tacked on two more in the third to send Sullivan home a winner.

It was over when ...

Adam Fox scored the second of his two goals to give the Rangers that 4-1 lead with 3:22 left in the second. The Penguins had just taken another penalty and lost the ensuing faceoff. Fox flung a shot from 57 feet out that Silovs seemingly never saw.

Stat of the game

3 — players younger than Kindel to ever score for the Penguins. They were Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby and Doug Bodger. Kindel will not turn 19 until next April 19.

Around the boards

— To make room on the roster for Rust, the Penguins sent Ville Koivunen down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Why him? One factor was that Koivunen is exempt from waivers, whereas other options would be at risk of being claimed. The 22-year-old winger also struggled a bit in the first two games.

— Rust returned after sitting out the first two games due to a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old winger stepped right back into his spot on the first line next to Crosby and Rickard Rakell. He also played on their top power-play unit.

— The No. 1 power play was Crosby, Rust, Rakell, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. Kris Letang was moved to the second unit, bumping Brunicke off the PP.

— Defenseman Caleb Jones picked up his first Penguins point on Kindel’s goal.

— After they went a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill in the first two games of the Dan Muse era, the Penguins allowed two goals on five opportunities Saturday night.

— Silovs allowed six goals on 30 shots. His save percentage dipped to .891.

— Herb Brooks is still the only coach in Penguins history to start his tenure 3-0.

— The Penguins welcomed Sullivan back to PPG Paints Arena with a tremendous video tribute, and the crowd cheered as they watched highlights from Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup runs under Sullivan. It looked as if the winningest coach in franchise history was trying to fight off tears as he received a standing ovation.

— The Penguins also honored longtime arena worker David Blackburn on his 90th birthday. He has been a fixture at the Civic Arena and PPG Paints Arena since 1961.

Coming up next

The Penguins are slated to practice Sunday afternoon before they fly out to California for a three-game road trip. The first stop is Anaheim on Tuesday.