Thanks in part to a solid, teamwide defensive effort

NEW YORK — There were already plenty of storylines as a large pack of reporters lined up near the staging area for Dan Muse’s Tuesday morning press conference.

Mike Sullivan versus the Penguins. Muse making his NHL head coaching debut. The two teenagers. And two decades for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

There was little curiosity about who would be between the pipes for the Penguins.

It had to be Tristan Jarry, right? He started their last five season openers, after all.

Then came a loud stomping sound toward the visiting locker room, and everyone turned to see Arturs Silovs was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate.

In the end, Muse’s surprising decision was the correct one. Silovs stopped 25 shots as the Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 at Madison Square Garden. Silovs became the second goalie in team history to earn a shutout in his Penguins debut.

“Hard work pays off,” said Silovs, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks this summer. “I felt confident. I felt like my game was solid. And I’ll just keep going.”

It is way too early to declare we just witnessed a changing of the guard in goal.

Jarry will get opportunities, and Silovs has been plagued by inconsistency as a pro.

But while Silovs certainly benefited from a strong defensive performance from the Penguins in his debut — something we will get into here shortly — he also avoided the type of critical self-inflicted wounds that have come to define the Jarry experience.

“He was really solid back there for us,” Erik Karlsson said after Tuesday’s victory.

On Monday, the coaching staff told Silovs he would get Tuesday’s start — and along with it the first crack at the No. 1 goalie gig. Muse later explained to reporters that several factors went into that big decision, including a “good camp” for Silovs.

Many were surprised Muse went with Silovs. The Latvian wasn’t one of them.

“I felt like it was so nice to play, and it’s even better to win on the road,” he added.

Silovs, 24, credited his new teammates for playing smart, committed team defense.

The guys in front of Silovs stopped nearly as many shots as he did. The Penguins were credited with 20 blocked shots, none bigger than the shot contest Ryan Shea had in the second period that prevented Mika Zibanejad from hitting an open net.

The Penguins limited the amount of odd-man rushes for the Rangers, though there were a few puck-management miscues that led to good looks for the home team.

Crosby liked how the players supported each other in all three zones and were quick to react if someone made a mistake, not letting it snowball into a much bigger one.

And a new, tighter-knit breakout strategy under Muse helped them navigate New York’s forecheck and cleanly escape their zone, especially in the first 40 minutes.

Muse said it was a good starting point as they try to build out a team game centered on “relentless” effort and players staying closer together with and without the puck.

“Especially where maybe there were some breakdowns, we were in good position to recover and come back and take away the dangerous ice. So that part was good to see,” Muse said. “Definitely there will be plenty from [Tuesday that we like], but there’s going to be a lot more [schematically] that we’re going to be able to build out.”

With the Penguins actually committed to protecting a 1-0 lead in Muse’s first game, instead of trying to add to it, Silovs was not needed to make any spectacular saves.

Silovs also played the puck pretty well, which benefited Pittsburgh’s breakouts.

But while Silovs kept the puck out all night, he did appear to have issues tracking it. A few times, he was unable to snag long shots with his glove and get a whistle. That resulted in at least two extended shifts for the Rangers in Pittsburgh territory. So perhaps rebound control will be something to watch with Silovs going forward.

Still, it was a solid showing for Silovs, who is excited to get a clean slate and a shot to play NHL games here in Pittsburgh after he was the odd man out in Vancouver.

“It’s been great,” he said. “You can see a lot of guys want to get better every single day. I think that’s what we’re striving for. … Everyone wants to reach new heights.”

Given how Silovs played, there should be no suspense about who starts Thursday’s home opener against the New York Islanders. They gotta go back to “Arty,” right?