The final six comes through as the Penguins defeat the Canadiens 6-3

The Pittsburgh Penguins were strong again on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens and also failed in the second period.

But this time, the depth rating was of great importance for the Penguins.

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Lars Eller scored two goals and Kevin Hayes scored the game-winner in the third period as the Penguins defeated the Canadiens 6-3. Rickard Rakell and Kris Letang also scored for Pittsburgh, and Evgeni Malkin scored the empty-net goal to seal the eventual win.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 27 saves on 30 shots and came up big for the Penguins at the end of the game.

Here are some thoughts and observations from Pittsburgh's win on Monday:

– Rakell deserves a lot of praise for his performance this season.

His skating looks miles better. His forechecking and board game were spectacular, his defensive awareness is still strong and he thinks the game at a high level. He knows how to use physicality and his vision to create space, and he has good foresight to put himself in a position to make plays.

And that's not even Rakell's strongest trait. This would be his chance.

He fired a shot past Montembault for his first-period goal, but later ripped two more rockets off the post. The puck bounces off his stick and his patented snap shot is absolutely deadly in the moment.

One of my predictions for this season is that Rakell would score over 30 goals (to be precise, I predicted a career high of 37). If he continues to do the things he's currently doing, he should achieve this goal relatively easily. He was that good.

– With that in mind, I don't think there are enough good things to say about Malkin right now. He was shot out of a cannon and has been the Penguins' most dynamic offensive player so far this season.

He needs to see the ice as often as possible now, plain and simple.

– Having said that, the top six overall is definitely a problem.

After a promising game in Detroit, Sidney Crosby's line was largely ineffective. Michael Bunting was too quiet in place of his linemates, although he was definitely more noticeable tonight.

It's certainly not ideal to separate Malkin and Rakell right now, and I think it's fair to give Bryan Rust a few games to help him get back on his feet after his injury earlier in the season. However, I still believe that Crosby, especially with Jake Guentzel gone, needs a true finisher on his line.

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That doesn't mean Crosby can't do it alone. He is absolutely capable, as he has proven time and time again. But as an individual, Malkin was always a standout player when he was there, and he certainly is now.

Crosby needs a player who thinks the game well on his line and a guy who can finish it, which is why Guentzel has been so successful with him. Rakell is the closest player like that on this roster. Rust and Beauvillier are both north-south wingers with speed and advance control, and while Rust is a very good player, such a player works better in a complementary role with Crosby.

I wouldn't mind if they put Rakell to the left of Crosby and Drew O'Connor to the right of Malkin, as the Bunting-Malkin-O'Connor line worked pretty well against Detroit on Thursday.

And — if we're going to get into specifics here — the Rakell-Crosby-Rust line was the Penguins' best line of the season in a small sample in 2023-24. In fact, Rakell was part of all three of the Penguins' top lines last season:

– This bottom six has improved a lot compared to last season and I think it's pretty safe to rely on for the rest of the season.

There was a lot of talk about Eller moving on in the offseason. I think what has been shown in the early stages is that Eller can be a very good third line center when offensively gifted players are deployed on his wings. The third line of O'Connor, Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi were very good tonight and they seemed to build some chemistry as the night went on.

Puljujarvi is truly an asset to the third line and I think he deserves a permanent spot in the lineup right now.

As for the fourth line? I really like what I've seen from them so far this season. I praised Cody Glass and the tune hasn't changed. But Hayes and Noel Acciari look like really good additions to this line. They are defensively conscientious and can really step up their game on the forecheck.

If the Penguins find the right combination in the top six, this will be a very impressive lineup.

Related: Is there a goaltending controversy in Pittsburgh?

-As far as goalkeeping goes, Jarry's evening didn't start ideally. He allowed a questionable first goal, and Montreal's third was one of those “could have saved” goals.

However, I give him credit for the way he ended the evening. Montreal had a really strong performance at the end of the game – the Crosby line was hemmed in their own zone and completely gassed for over two minutes – and Jarry made some big saves to maintain the lead.

That was a big game for him. And I think he did enough in this game to maintain his position as the starter for now.

– Someone who has really surprised me in a positive way so far this season is Matt Grzelcyk.

He had a few defensive issues against the Rangers (everyone did) and against Toronto. But he is very good at joining the rush, he has deceptive speed and he moves the puck very well, something Sullivan has reiterated several times. He showed this on his pass to Malkin in the third period that led to Letang's goal:

I like his success so far. I think he and Letang could be a good couple.

– The Penguins play two straight home games against Buffalo on Wednesday and Carolina on Friday before facing the Winnipeg Jets in Western Canada on Monday.

These two games should be a good test for Pittsburgh. Buffalo has some emerging young talent and a pretty dynamic offense, while the Hurricanes are, as always, a good, defensively solid four-line team.

In addition, goalkeeper Alex Nedeljkovic is running with the team and seems to be close to returning. It will be interesting to see who scores on Wednesday.

Related: THN Penguins predictions: Where will the team finish in the standings?