The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a bit of a slow start in the 2026-27 NHL season. The Penguins entered Friday night's game with the Columbus Blue Jackets coming off back-to-back losses. Sidney Crosby and his teammates were unable to snap the losing streak on Friday night.

The Penguins lost a close game to the Blue Jackets on the road. Veteran goalie Cam Talbot was a wall in his team debut. He stopped 20 of 22 shots in this game. However, Pittsburgh goalie Sergei Murashov was arguably better. Crosby recognized his efforts after the loss.

“He was awesome. Just really steady and made some big saves for us. There were some extended shifts there where they controlled a lot of the play. I thought that he allowed ourselves to get organized a bit,” the Pittsburgh captain said, via team reporter Michelle Crechiolo.

Murashov was nigh unbeatable in this game. The Blue Jackets threw everything they had at the rookie puckstopper. He rose to the challenge, turning aside 43 of 45 shots faced in this game. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep Columbus at bay in the shootout.

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The Penguins won each of their first two games of the season. Now, they have lost three in a row. It's a brutal way for the season to unfold early in the season. Performances like Murashov's on Friday could certainly help turn the tides, though.

The Penguins need to be better, and they won't need to wait long for their next shot. Pittsburgh is in action again on Saturday when they take on the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena.