3 takeaways: Penguins remain winless in Canada

Three takeaways from the Penguins’ 4-1 loss in Calgary on Tuesday night:

Northern exposure

The Penguins played their third game of the season against a Canadian team and came away with their third defeat on Tuesday in a lackluster 4-1 loss loss to the Calgary Flames.

Their first setback up north was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 17. That contest saw Penguins defenseman Jeff Petry take three penalties, including one in overtime that led to the winning goal on a power play.

On Monday, they were simply out-raced by the dynamic Edmonton Oilers, 6-3. The Penguins actually had a 3-1 lead in that contest but gave up five unanswered goals by while holding superstar forward Connor McDavid off the scoreboard.

Tuesday’s loss wasn’t as competitive as the score indicated. The Penguins were skating without injured forwards Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker and Teddy Blueger. The Flames, typically one of the more defensively composed units in the league, largely limited the Penguins’ remaining offensive threats.

When it comes to nationality, the Penguins’ roster composition is largely commensurate with the rest of the league. Of the 23 players currently on the active roster, 10 are Canadian (43.4%) and eight are American (34.8%).

Across the league, 41.0% of players on opening-night rosters were Canadian and 28.4% were American.

Lineup change on D

Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel played his second game of the season. He logged 12:28 of ice time on 18 shifts and had one shot attempt and blocked one shot.

Thanks in large part to the fact that they scored six goals in each of their four victories, the Penguins don’t have many players on the roster without a point yet this season. Ruhwedel is one. Drake Caggiula, who has played two games, is another. Goalie Casey DeSmith is the third. Even starting goalie Tristan Jarry and rookie Sam Poulin, who made his NHL debut Tuesday, have an assist.

First-round debut

With Zucker injured, Poulin drew into the lineup for his NHL debut. He logged 12:17 of ice time on 15 shifts, recorded an assist, two penalties minutes, two shots on three attempts, one blocked shot and was 5 for 10 (50%) on faceoffs.

Of the 31 players selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, Poulin is the 26th to make his NHL debut. All 20 players chosen ahead of him have already broken into the NHL for at least eight games.