Pittsburgh Penguins Postgame Reaction: 3 Stars from Tuesday's Win

The Penguins opened up Consol Energy Center this season with a bang. 

Without Crosby and Malkin in the lineup, plenty of role players stepped up big. Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis and Craig Adams were all goal scorers in the Pens 4-2 victory over Florida.

The Pens PK also improved to 16-for-16 on the season by stifling the Panthers power play.

Here were the three stars from tonight's game, according to yours truly. 

3rd Star: Kris Letang

Kris Letang played another standout game for the Penguins. He's off to a great start with a goal and five assists.

He's also providing unbelievable defensive play. He just has an "it" quality to him where it's hard to put a finger on it, but the way he has been playing recently is remarkable both defensively and offensively.

Secondly, he is truly becoming the facilitator to the Penguins offense. In basketball, it's the point guard's job to bring the ball up the court. Letang is the point guard of the Penguins. He carries the puck to the neutral zone with such ease, it's just obvious that he has developed into the defenseman the Penguins hoped him to become. It's a really great thing to see if you're a Penguins fan.

Finally, Letang logged another 25 minutes against the Panthers. He is just chewing up ice time, and nothing beats having a great player out for a long time. 

2nd Star: Pascal Dupuis

Dupuis not only scored his first goal of the season, but he was a major reason why the Penguins power play remains perfect.

The Penguins have killed all 16 power plays after four games. Other teams have 100 percent penalty killing rates, too, but the Penguins are the only team in the NHL to have played four games so far.

Dupuis' goal was a great second effort, and it was a dirty goal. It really exemplified Dupuis' playing style of hard work and resilience. His goal and his great help on the penalty kill was a major reason why the Pens beat the Panthers this evening. 

1st Star: Joe Vitale

How about a huge round of applause for Penguins rookie Joe Vitale?

He has worked his way up as a seventh-round draft pick to the NHL and has shown Dan Bylsma and the Penguins coaching staff that he deserves to stay with the big boys.

Vitale figured in on two huge goals for the Penguins this evening. 

The goal to Matt Cooke was tremendous. The Northeastern product skated down and avoided the Florida defense and stickhandled beautifully before leaving a pass to Matt Cooke who hammered it home. 

Vitale also had the primary assist on the Dupuis goal. He also won nine out of his 13 faceoffs. 

His performance tonight was a great example of what the Pens need to do with Crosby and Malkin out of the lineup. The role players need to step up, and Vitale did tonight. It was truly a commendable effort on his part.