COLUMBUS- The Pittsburgh Penguins had just two credited shots in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but a hard effort from prospect Ville Koivunen put Valtteri Puustinen on the foot. The Penguins took control of the game in the second half of the second period and built momentum.

The score between the Penguins group of prospects, hopefuls and Kevin Hayes against the Columbus NHL squad was 1-1 after 40 minutes.

But this is preseason, and like Whose Line Is It, the score doesn’t matter. The game was the final audition for most of the Penguins roster, as cuts will take place this weekend following the Penguins’ final preseason game Friday against the same Columbus Jerseys at PPG Paints Arena.

It’s more than just the score, it’s about the effort, about showing competitive fire and making an impact on the game. The Penguins had several winners in that regard. In fact, the team was very good after the first 10 to 15 minutes.

“I think we have some young players that are part of our organization that we strongly feel will be impact players,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “You know, the question is when.”

After 40 minutes, the Columbus NHLers outscored the Penguins 20-12, and the Penguins defended well in the third period, limiting good scoring opportunities as Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry played the entire game, stopping 33 of 34 in the 3 -1 win. .

Puustinen, Jonathan Gruden and Kevin Hayes scored the goals. Hayes’ count was the empty netter.

“For a man who competed very hard. I thought we got better as the game went on. You know, the first five, seven minutes of the game, I think, against an NHL lineup, I thought it was a little bit of an eye-opener for some of our guys and how quickly things happen out there. But I thought once we settled in and, you know, we started making plays. We had more awareness throughout the day. I know what we were going to do with it before it got to us. And that’s a big part of playing in this league. So I think overall as a group I thought it was a really solid effort, top to bottom.

Penguin winners

Ville Koivunen: A+

The Penguins prospect has been a work in progress since arriving from Finland last April to play in a pair of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton playoff games. He looked like a player who was swept up in the transition from the Finnish league to North American pro hockey. His biggest problem was that he tried to delay the game, but had his lunch money taken away while he did so.

On Thursday something clicked. Koivunen, 21, began aggressively chasing the puck and cleverly distributing it across the offensive zone. He created the Penguins’ goal by winning a puck battle behind the Columbus net and quickly setting up Puustinen.

“I think he’s starting to get used to the size and the strength of the players and the pace of the game,” Sullivan said. “But you can see how smart and how well he thinks the game. I think he really sees it. And so we’re encouraged by what we saw there.”

On the next shift, he raced after the puck and caused a turnover, and the Penguins again had a pair of scoring opportunities. The line with center Tristan Broz, Koivunen and Puustinen became stronger as the match progressed.

It’s too late for Koivunen to make the NHL roster, but building on that kind of offensive smarts and effort could make him an exciting prospect to keep an eye on in the coming months and potentially get him into the NHL.

Rutger McGroarty: A

He’s been lost in the shuffle this past week, but he’s also been riding the wave of momentum in the second period. He chased down a Columbus puck carrier on the front foot, knocked him to the ice and set up a few offensive opportunities, including a good look for himself.

“McGroarty is a very smart player and he has a strong stick,” Sullivan said. “He’s pretty good on the wall. So I think his game is growing and evolving.

McGroarty looked like he belonged with center Kevin Hayes and winger Jesse Puljujarvi. They began to physically take over their Columbus hosts. The boys chirped among themselves as PHN chatted with McGroarty.

Yes, the boy fits right in. Whether he stays or not will be the toughest decision the coaches and management will make.

Jesse Puljujarvi: A

We move Puljujarvi’s chances to around 99% of making the final roster. If making an impact is the criterion, he did that. He was physical in the defensive and offensive zones, found open spots for Hayes to feed him and should have had a goal in the second period. He neatly beat Columbus goalkeeper Elvis Merzlikins with a vicious wrister, but it rattled the crossbar.

He and Hayes are an obvious combination. We like McGroarty on that front too, but that’s a numbers game for Sullivan and Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas.

Owen Pickering: A

Pickering may not have been openly visible during the limited viewing of the stream available to fans, but we caught up with the big defenseman to see how he was (again) handling the NHL competition. He passed with flying colors, including some standout moments in the third period.

Early in the third, he canceled out a one-on-one scoring opportunity, putting his team in transition before the go-ahead goal. He activated midway through the third period. Realizing Columbus wasn’t covering him, he brought the puck to the net and got a good chance at Merzlikins, who made the save.

He protected his net when challenged, he took smart angles on the rush and he used his reach to quickly win several puck battles he couldn’t win. During the momentum surge in the second period, he was the third stick on the rush and had a great look from the slot, but the shot was disrupted from behind by a lunging Columbus.

Honestly, the only thing we questioned was his penalty kill late in the third period. I think he hit an awkward angle against the wall, leaving a shooting/passing lane. That is easy to correct.

We just really liked his game. He took the pucks, poked them into the right spots for his attackers to gain possession, negated plays with small gaps and made zero errors.

All things being equal (not counting contracts and age), Pickering has shown himself to be worthy of a real NHL opportunity. The cold reality is that the business side likely means going to WBS, but the progress in the 2022 first round has been significant.

No winners

Sam Poulin

This was a good match for Poulin. He played solid and had some good moments, but was he above his competition? His big moment was taking the puck to the net in the third period, but his shot was deflected. He’s solid, he’s played hard and there’s nothing to beat. He made the selection decision more difficult, but he is a victim of numbers. Puljujarvi and McGroarty and others played just as well, if not better.

“I thought Sam Poulin had some strong shifts,” Sullivan said as he praised several players.

Read more: The last stand for Sam Poulin (+)

He’s an NHL player, but probably not with the Penguins. If he sneaks through waivers, the team will have a good call waiting in the wings.

Johannes Ludvig

He started training camp in the mix for a depth defender role, but he hasn’t shown that he is one of the top eight defenders. He’s had some blah efforts throughout camp. Sullivan said Thursday was Ludvig’s best effort, but we were a little unconvinced.

Valtteri Puustinen

Like Poulin, Puustinen’s NHL future hangs in the balance. He was good on Thursday, but has he overcome his deficit? Probably not. He played a perfectly competent game, and maybe that’s not his game to excel; he’s a finisher, which he did.

The question is: was he better than McGroarty or Puljujarvi?