The Pittsburgh Penguins had a very different look on Sunday evening in their 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, getting big minutes from both Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, their top forward prospects. The duo was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday morning following some strong play and big developments in the AHL this season, and they were both thrust right into top-six roles. McGroarty played alongside captain Sidney Crosby, while Koivunen played on a makeshift second line next to Rickard Rakell.
The first impressions: For the most part, promising.
Not only did the Penguins beat a playoff team, 1-0, they also seemed to have a little more life and energy injected into them with the new, younger faces….