The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their road trip with a decisive victory and will search for another when they visit the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Thanks to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday to open a four-game swing, the Penguins have collected points in four consecutive games and sit third in the Metropolitan Division.
Their victory over the Kraken was a strong performance, with a huge contribution from the supporting cast.
Connor Dewar scored twice while Parker Wotherspoon, Brett Kulak, Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell also tallied.
It is a strong sign when the bottom two lines net a trio of goals and two defensemen not known for their offensive skills light the lamp.
“We want everybody involved in the offense,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “It’s not always going to be necessarily just goals, but contributions on the offensive side. Whether it’s getting up in the rush and helping to create space, or their involvement there, movement in the O-zone or … actually scoring goals.”
Most prognosticators pegged the Penguins to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, but they are sitting in a strong spot thanks to an 8-2-2 mark in their last dozen outings.
The overall team game has been key, and Dewar is the poster boy, having tied career highs with 11 goals and 19 points after tallying twice in Seattle while on a line with Noel Acciari and Blake Lizotte.
“It’s so fun playing with like-minded players,” Dewar said. “We love playing together, so yeah, it’s been good.”
Pittsburgh acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in exchange for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round draft pick. Solovyov was drafted by the Flames in 2020.
The Flames, who sit six points off the pace for a playoff spot, are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday in the second clash of a five-game homestand.
Calgary, which is on a 3-1-1 run, has been held to one goal or fewer in 15 of 49 games this season.
Among the players struggling is Jonathan Huberdeau, who has failed to record a point in eight games and managed only one goal and one assist in 13 outings.
“It’s not easy,” said Huberdeau, who has netted only eight goals and 21 points in 44 games. “I feel like I’ve been in this situation a lot since I’ve been here. I’ll just try to dig myself out of this hole, every time, and come back and help the team as much as I can.”
The Flames are likely to receive a big emotional boost with sparkplug forward Martin Pospisil expected to make his season debut after a long comeback from a concussion, his fifth, suffered during the preseason.
Pospisil, who was named to Slovakia’s Olympic team, played a pair of AHL games before being recalled on Tuesday. Although he is not likely to ignite the team’s offensive charge immensely, his speed and pinball style of play on the fourth line with Ryan Lomberg and Adam Klapka should provide plenty of energy.
“Maybe I could write a book about it,” Pospisil said after practicing on Tuesday. “It’s pretty emotional for me. I just want to look forward. There were some really tough days that I’ve been through, and I’m happy that it’s all gone. … I’m happy that I’m healthy, and now I can play.”
–Field Level Media
