Hockey in bubble passes first test, so will Penguins

Bubble hockey works. That was the primary takeaway from the Penguins’ first legit game in four months. But hardly the only one. There’s almost too much to talk about as the NHL launches an unprecedented, 24-team postseason, and the Penguins begin what they hope will be a march toward their third Stanley Cup in five years …

• The league did a fabulous job with the setting in Toronto. It’s all about the television show now. Once the puck dropped, PenguinsFlyers looked and sounded like an international game, where the sport’s natural sounds replace fan -created bedlam (though fans will be desperately missed as the playoffs begin).

The tarps covering the lower bowl helped mitigate the reality of empty seats. The fake crowd noise and goal horns and such helped trick this viewer’s brain into believing all was somewhat normal.

Conor Sheary aptly compared it to an outdoor-game dynamic, where the crowd is situated far from the ice. That creates a TV experience — again, like an Olympic game — that accentuates blades cutting ice, bodies hitting boards, pucks hitting sticks and voices (players, coaches, referees) providing a constant backdrop.

This did not seem abnormally weird, which I thought it might.

— Matt Murray looked fine in goal and is an easily justified choice to start Game 1 against Montreal. I just can’t help but wonder if Tristan Jarry might be the better choice later on.

The Penguins should easily dispatch the Canadiens, regardless of who’s in goal. Perhaps the biggest question after that is their ability to withstand the physicality in the East — ’cause it’s comin.

You know what the Bruins, Lightning and Capitals bring: a jump in thump. They’ll want to wear down the Penguins, pound their defense, over a long series. It’s one thing to survive one of those teams. The Penguins must survive the gauntlet.

Jarry presents a special quality that could help mitigate the pounding. He can kill a forecheck with his puckhandling ability. The first job is stopping the puck, of course, and if Murray is great from the outset, he’ll keep the job.

But I’m thinking one bad game might lead to a Jarry sighting — and that Jarry might be the better choice against the big boys. Remember, he was the better goalie over the course of the season, even if his performance slipped late.

— Another element that can make an overly rambunctious team pay? A lethal power play, and the Penguins’ power play didn’t look so lethal Tuesday and finished a middling 16th in the regular season.

The first consideration is to not lose momentum on the power play — and to absolutely not allow a shorthanded goal. I can’t help but wonder if that consideration is behind Mike Sullivan using Justin Schultz instead of Kris Letang with the first unit.

Sullivan might be thinking it’s unwise to have Letang and Evgeni Malkin out there together when one gaffe could lead to a shortie.

— In the very near future, the best power play quarterback on the team might be John Marino. He is cerebral, deceptive and dangerous. He has a high panic threshold, as well, and immense confidence in his ability to escape trouble. He’s also a great skater. Looks like a power -play quarterback in the making to me.

— Sidney Crosby seemed like he was smartly pacing himself for Saturday. You look for the burst and the ability to fend off the big boys down low when you’re gauging Crosby’s health. Both were apparent in small doses. I would expect much larger doses Saturday night.

— Malkin turned monstrous in the third period. He lost his mind a few times before that, notably on the tape-to-tape pass to set up a Flyers’ goal and an egregious turnover at the Philly blue line. The Penguins need good Geno, smart Geno, sane Geno, to get where they want to go.

That said, his line was the best line Tuesday and will continue to be that in the Canadiens series.

— Other predictions: Patric Hornqvist will wind up on Crosby’s line sooner or later. … Jake Guentzel, whose presence was greatly missed, will be the Penguins’ leading playoff goal scorer. … Jack Johnson will benefit from the time off and play well next to Schultz (oh man, I’m already regretting that one). … The Penguins will sweep the Canadiens, who, quite frankly, are better off losing and getting a shot at the first overall pick.