The Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday - which gave the Blues their whopping 11th straight win - obviously wasn't the desired result.
But there were a lot of good things happening in this effort - particularly from the two youngest players on the team.
Penguins top prospect Rutger McGroarty scored his first NHL goal with 23.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and earn Pittsburgh a point. Fellow rookie Ville Koivunen earned the primary assist on the play, which was his first point in the NHL.
“It was pretty cool, especially at that point in the game versus a team like that and how hot they are,” McGroarty said. “It was pretty cool for Ville and I to do that on the same goal. We might have to split the puck in half, I'm not sure.”
Koivunen saw the opportunity there for McGroarty, and he wasted no time distributing the puck to him.
"I just saw Rutger open, and Rutger was doing his magic there," Koivunen said. "So, just give him the puck."
FIRST NHL GOAL FOR RUTGER 🙌
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 4, 2025
FIRST NHL POINT FOR VILLE 🙌 pic.twitter.com/q02wOvXjjD
Both rookies have clearly earned the trust of the coaching staff, as head coach Mike Sullivan decided to deploy both of them in the six-on-five situation at the end of the game. They shared the ice with Rust, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson - and they did not disappoint.
Sullivan said they were "terrific," and he made a point to shout out a play that McGroarty made prior to the goal that helped prevent a Blues empty-net goal.
“Rutger chased the puck down prior to that, where, if we gave them the separation, they might have hit an empty net," Sullivan said. "They don't, because he puts pressure on it. I thought they were terrific in that circumstance."
'We Have A Close Team': WBS Penguins Practice In Pittsburgh, Talk Chemistry Of GroupThe Penguins took to the ice for practice on Thursday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.
He also added that the two young forwards earned the opportunity through performance to get those critical minutes.
"If we didn't think they were deserving, we wouldn't put them out there," Sullivan said. "We think they're making a difference. They're earning their ...
