Gaunce returns to NHL after a long absence
MONTREAL — Defenseman Cameron Gaunce, called up Tuesday from the Penguins minor league team in Wilkes-Barre, didn’t try to hide how pleased he is to be back in the NHL.
“I wish my vocabulary was big enough to fully explain it,” he said before the Penguins faced Montreal Wednesday night at Bell Centre. “I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to play with this team.”
Gaunce, who previously appeared in an NHL game while playing for Dallas in 2013-14, said he wasn’t necessarily anticipating a promotion, but didn’t seem shocked that it happened.
“One thing about this organization is that they’ve done an excellent job of communicating with the guys in Wilkes-Barre,” he said. “Not so much where they stand, but how they’ve been playing, how the organization might see you.
“I knew they were happy with my play, so, when it happened, it was kind of a surprise, but I kind of knew they were looking at me.”
Gaunce has good size (6 feet 1, 210 pounds) and can play a physical game. He had two goals and six assists in 39 games with the Baby Penguins.
Absence a blow to PK
The Penguins penaltykilling entered the Canadiens game ranked 25th in the NHL, with a success rate of 78.1 percent.
The chances of significantly improving any of that in the near future took a major hit Monday, when center Matt Cullen sustained a foot injury that is expected to keep him out for 3-4 weeks.
“That’s obviously a big loss,” said forward Eric Fehr, who will inherit Cullen’s spot in the middle of the fourth line, along with some of his short-handed duties.
“We definitely lose one of our best faceoff guys, which is always crucial on the penalty-kill. The rest of us that are in there are going to have to step up.”
Being without Cullen apparently won’t spark any major on-ice adjustments.
“Out concepts are going to stay the same,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Our principles are going to remain the same.
“We have a number of penalty-killers we rely on. [Cullen] is just one of them. He’s an important one, that’s for sure, but we have other capable guys who are familiar with our concepts and that we know can get the job done.”
Crosby on Therrien
Montreal coach Michel Therrien picked up his 400th career victory Jan. 7. He earned 135 of those with the Penguins, who he took to the Stanley Cup final in 2008 before losing his job less than a year later.
Therrien clearly made an impression on the players who worked under him, including center Sidney Crosby.
He was just a few months into his pro career when Therrien replaced Eddie Olczyk as coach of the Penguins in mid-December 2005.
“He put a a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and created a lot of expectations,” Crosby said. “Even within our team or within myself.
“So, I think, that was important, to have that confidence from your coach at a young age, that he believed you could do great things at a young age and be successful. … I think that was really important, as far as starting out in the NHL.”