Feisty Tanev makes hay in return
BOSTON — On Wednesday Penguins coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged Brandon Tanev was the type of player who couldn’t just ease back into the lineup.
And, sure enough, there Tanev was all over the place a night later at TD Garden, throwing five hits, chirping at Boston Bruins players and letting his long, dark locks fly for a few seconds after his helmet was dislodged during the action.
Oh yeah, and he set up Zach Aston-Reese for the first goal in that big 4-1 win.
“He’s a popular guy in our room. He plays the game so hard. I think his energy is contagious,” Sullivan said late Thursday night. “When he’s in our lineup, he makes us faster. He makes us more physical. He makes us harder to play against. … He really helps to establish the identity that we’re trying to build here.”
Tanev missed six games with an upper-body injury suffered March 18 in New Jersey. The Penguins won five of them, but his absence was felt.
“It’s huge. Tans brings that energy. He’s called ‘Turbo’ for a reason. He’s just so fast and his speed creates a lot of openings,” Aston-Reese said. “He’s able to be a good F1 on the forecheck and kind of leave the puck for the F2 to come in and pick it up. You know, that’s a small detail but that leads to a lot of offense.”
That was a fancy way of saying that Tanev likes to fly in on the forecheck and hit fools, forcing loose pucks which other forwards swoop in and retrieve.
Skating on the third line Thursday with Aston-Reese and Frederick Gaudreau, Tanev led the team in hits. He helped the Penguins kill a couple of power plays. And the winger picked up his 16th point in 31 games.
Plus, he cracked up teammate Jason Zucker with something he said to a Boston player. An image of that moment gained Twitter traction during the game.
“Obviously, I’m not going to repeat what was said. We’ll keep this PG-13,” Zucker said. “But Tans is a great guy to have in our lineup. He’s huge for us. He’s a maniac out there in so many good ways. He brings a lot of energy to our team.”
Jarry, Blueger practice in full
Tristan Jarry, who missed Thursday’s win due to an upperbody injury, joined his teammates for a Friday afternoon practice at Warrior Ice Arena, Boston’s training facility. The goalie participated without restrictions, Sullivan said.
The coach was noncommittal about Jarry’s availability for Saturday’s game at TD Garden, saying they would decide that morning whether he would be available to either start against the Bruins or at least be in uniform to back up Casey DeSmith.
Maxime Lagace, the team’s third goalie, spent much of Friday’s practice standing near center ice as Jarry and Casey DeSmith hogged the two creases.
Lagace later joined the taxi squad for their practice. That could signal that Jarry suits up.
Teddy Blueger, meanwhile, was all systems go at Friday’s full-squad practice.
“He was full contact, which is really encouraging from our standpoint,” Sullivan said. “That’s the final stage before the return to play. That would suggest that he’s getting a whole lot closer. But he has not been cleared to play yet.”
We’ll see if that happens before the puck drops at 1 p.m. Saturday in Boston.
What’s up with the mustache?
After much speculation among teammates this week, Kris Letang, who has sported a thick mustache since Monday’s practice, finally explained his new look.
“Going into the practice I knew we were going to do the ‘mustache boy of the month’ [shootout],” Letang said. “I was told not to shave my mustache, so I came to the rink with it. And my partner [Brian Dumoulin] lost it so I didn’t want to leave him by himself having a mustache for the month. So I’m excited to keep it.”
Sullivan excited for baseball
Just down the road and right around the time practice ended Friday at Warrior Ice Arena, the Boston Red Sox threw out the first pitch at their season opener. Sullivan, a baseball lover, was asked about the vibe in his hometown.
“It’s great. I love baseball. I’ve always been a big Red Sox fan, growing up in this area,” he said. “Opening Day is always an exciting time for baseball fans. I’m excited for the Pirates, excited for the Red Sox. Also, from a hockey standpoint, it’s the time of year when playoffs are nearing. It’s the most exciting time of year.”