The Pittsburgh Penguins’ hot start was halted Saturday as they were routed by the New York Rangers, 6-1, at PPG Paints Arena. It was their first loss of the still-young season (2-1-0).

A lopsided advantage in special teams propelled the Rangers to victory.

They were 2 for 4 on the power play, while the only score the Penguins’ power-play units saw was a short-handed goal by the Rangers.

In total, the Penguins’ power play was limited to three shots on four opportunities.

“I just don’t think we were executing,” forward Bryan Rust said. “There were plays to be made. When the play was there, we just didn’t quite execute. We weren’t as crisp. We weren’t making passes on the tape like we should. It’s one of those things (that) we’ve got to go back to the drawing board, we’ve got to learn our lessons and we’ve got to be better.”

Rust was back in the lineup, assuming his normal station as the team’s right winger on the top line.

An undisclosed injury landed him on injured reserve to open the season and he missed the first two games before rejoining the active roster Saturday.

“I feel good,” Rust said following an optional morning skate in Cranberry earlier in the day. “I’m excited to go. It’s been a long offseason. Anxious to start playing some meaningful hockey.”

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang left the contest due to an undisclosed injury. He did not record a shift beyond the 2:08 mark of the third period. Coach Dan Muse did not provide a substantive update on Letang’s status following the game.

The visitors opened the scoring 7:40 into regulation when forward Mika Zibanejad scored his first goal of the season while on the penalty kill.

An errant pass in the offensive zone by Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was intercepted in the slot by Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, who then pitchforked a backhand pass up ice. Rangers forward Sam Carrick accepted the puck and gained the Penguins’ zone on the left wing, creating a two-on-one rush with Zibanejad against Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson. With patience, Carrick waited for Zibanejad to catch up, then slipped a pass through Karlsson’s skates to the lower lip of the right circle, where Zibanejad buried a forehand shot over the left leg of outstretched goaltender Arturs Silovs. Carrick and Fox had assists.

Mika Zibanejad - New York Rangers (1)Shorthanded Goal pic.twitter.com/Shy67UfaiK

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

It was the first short-handed goal the Penguins have allowed this season.

Penguins rookie Ben Kindel scored his first career goal at 3:04 of the second period.

From near his own left circle, Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov forced a stretch pass that was broken up near the far blue line by Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones. Kindel claimed possession and rushed into the Rangers’ zone on the right wing. As Gavrikov reached out for a poke-check attempt, Kindel released a wrister that glanced off Gavrikov’s stick and beat goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s blocker on the near side. Jones had the lone assist.

Ben Kindel - Pittsburgh Penguins (1) pic.twitter.com/BTTK8yQmPx

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

“It was a loose puck in the neutral zone,” Kindel said. “It kind of popped out to me and (Gavrikov) kind of had a bad gap, so I just tried to attack. I heard (linemate Filip Hallander) calling for the drop, but then I just decided to shoot. I just got lucky and it went in.”

The rest of the night’s fortunes belonged to the visitors.

The Rangers reclaimed a lead 3:02 later via Fox’s second goal.

After Silovs rejected Rangers forward Matt Rempe off a quick passing sequence near the Penguins’ crease, Rangers forward Adam Edstrom settled the rebound near the right corner, then offloaded it to Fox above the left circle. With an acre of ice and a calendar of time to pick his shot, Fox gripped and ripped a wrister, beating Silovs’ blocker on the near side. Penguins forward Justin Brazeau may have inadvertently served as a screen on the sequence. The only assist went to Edstrom.

Adam Fox - New York Rangers (2) pic.twitter.com/xrhpnLiCWt

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

Another special teams score put the Rangers up 3-1 at 9:25 of the second frame when forward Will Cuylle scored his first goal during a power-play situation.

Accepting a feed on the right half wall of the offensive zone, former Penguins forward Conor Sheary surveyed for a passing lane, then zipped the puck to the far side of the crease. Cuylle slipped behind Letang and leaned down to jab the puck past Silovs’ right skate with a forehand shot. Sheary and rookie forward Noah Laba logged assists.

Will Cuylle - New York Rangers (1)Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/RnoCVu8DGP

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

Fox scored again on a power play to put the Rangers up by a field goal at 16:38 of the second.

Rangers forward J.T. Miller, a native of Coraopolis, won a faceoff in the Penguins’ left circle, beating forward Noel Acciari, and slid the puck to the near point for Rangers forward Artemi Panarin. Considering his options for a moment, Panarin opted to feed the puck to the center point for Fox, who pumped a wrister past a block attempt by Penguins forward Blake Lizotte then Silov’s blocker. Panarin and Miller merited assists.

Adam Fox - New York Rangers (3) pic.twitter.com/s3bK4xxnJn

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

“Sometimes you get scored on,” Silovs said when asked about the penalty killing struggles. “It’s just the nature of the game. There’s always adjustments to do. And yeah, I just think we’re going to be better next game.”

The rout was on at 5:40 of the third period when Rempe scored his first goal.

Driving the puck into the offensive zone on the left wing, Carrick shuffled a one-handed backhander on net that Silovs held out. Rempe (6-foot-9, 261 pounds) crashed in on the rebound but was hit from behind by Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea (6-1, 200 pounds) and body splashed Silovs (6-4, 208 pounds). As that unfolded, Edstrom followed up on the rebound and shot it off of Rempe and into the cage. Rempe was credited with the score off assists from Edstrom and Carrick.

Matt Rempe - New York Rangers (1) pic.twitter.com/Bd5kNw2RhT

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

Former Erie Otters forward Taylor Raddysh capped the scoring with his first goal at 14:12 of the third period.

After Rust lost the puck in the offensive zone, Laba made a determined effort to skate it up ice through Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke and gained the Penguins’ blue line on the left wing. From below the left dot, Laba fed a slick backhand pass to the far side of the crease. Raddysh beat Jones to the blue paint and jabbed a backhander past the left skate of a hapless Silovs. Laba and forward Juuso Parssinen had assists.

Taylor Raddysh - New York Rangers (1) pic.twitter.com/JTgG5Zi6L6

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 12, 2025

Silovs made 24 saves on 30 shots and his record was leveled at 1-1-0 as the Penguins fell for the first time in 2025-26.

“Obviously, special teams makes a big difference in a game,” Muse said. “There will be some stuff for us to look at there. If you look at the previous games, our special teams, they were huge for us. We’re at Game 3.

“As you go through the year, we’re going to constantly be looking to be improve all areas of our game. I don’t think this is anything to be panicking on.”

Notes:

• Former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, now in the same capacity with the Rangers, returned to PPG Paints Arena for the first time since he parted company with the Penguins in April.

During the first television stoppage, the Penguins offered a presentation on the video board in recognition of Sullivan’s success here:

To the winningest coach in franchise history, thank you, Sully. pic.twitter.com/E8x6Ky5YMI

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2025

“It’s emotional,” Sullivan said. “It means a lot. I’m grateful for everything that we accomplished here during my time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach here in Pittsburgh for 10 years. I’m so grateful to the group of players over those years that performed the way they did that allowed us to have the success that we had. When you watch a (video) like that, which I was appreciative of to the Penguins — they didn’t have to do that — it brings back a flood of emotions.”

• Sullivan is now 8-1-1 all-time against the Penguins. As head coach of the Boston Bruins in 2003-04 and 2005-06 (there was no season in 2004-05 due to the NHL’s lockout), Sullivan was 7-0-1 against some bad Penguins teams.

• To make room for Rust on the active roster, rookie forward Ville Koivunen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Muse explained some of the rationale for sending Koivunen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton:

“He’s young. Part of it was also looking at if he’s going to be out of the lineup — which he was because we needed a roster spot and he was going to be the one coming out — have him play games (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). … The thought process was he can go play games. We’ll see where it all goes. There’s a lot of upside. There was a lot of good. It’s just right now, that’s where things are today. Definitely, he’s had some bright spots. … We see that. We’re excited about him, but it makes the most sense right now for him to be playing.”

• Kindel became the 653rd player to score a regular season goal for the franchise.

• Kindel (18 years, 175 days) became the fourth youngest player to score a goal for the franchise.

The three players who scored goals at an earlier age than Kindel, along with how many goals they scored before reaching Kindel’s age:

Jordan Staal – 18 years, 32 days (26 goals)

Sidney Crosby – 18 years, 62 days (25 goals)

Doug Bodger – 18 years, 117 days (4 goals)

• Jones’ assist was his first point as a member of the Penguins.

• Penguins defensemen Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton as well as forward Philip Tomasino were healthy scratches.

• During the third period, the Penguins recognized David Blackburn, who has worked as an usher and in other capacities at PPG Paints Arena and the Civic Arena since 1961. Saturday was his 90th birthday:

Tonight, the Penguins honored David Blackburn, a fixture at Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena and now PPG Paints Arena, who is celebrating 64 remarkable years of service and his 90th birthday! pic.twitter.com/zTBXzjS5nH

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 12, 2025

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