POINT SHOTS

Chad Ruhwedel and Casey DeSmith, pictured at right, are among the more popular players inside the dressing room. Their upbeat attitudes and work ethic have a lot to do with that. There’s no grumbling about their playing time. They just grind.

Don’t be surprised if Mark Jankowski, pictured above, is sitting soon. With Teddy Blueger expected back some time this week. And Freddy Gaudreau, what a nice surprise he has been. He’s passed Jankowski on the depth chart and has been much more effective than Jankowski was at any point. It is puzzling how Jankowski, in a matter of two seasons, went from being a 32-point player in Calgary to a complete non-factor here. But given his $700,000 contract, it’s just a small setback.

Jared McCann, pictured at left, has re-emerged as another option at center as the Penguins eye additions before the April 12 trade deadline. Lately, he’s been stout defensively, is driving the net and has rediscovered his scoring touch. Plus, they can play a righty like Evan Rodrigues next to him to help mitigate his faceoff shortcomings.

Speaking of Rodrigues, can someone please explain why the Penguins didn’t use this guy in the playoff bubble last summer? He’s far from a superstar. But he is a useful, versatile player who helps out a bunch in different situations.

Don’t forget special teams when listing the reasons for this recent surge. From March 1 through Thursday’s win, the Penguins ranked fourth in the NHL on the penalty kill and their power play was seventh — and they’ve done it with key players in both phases out. Mike Sullivan’s coaching staff deserves praise there.

The unexpected second pair of Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci continues to shine. Those two often play high-event hockey, with both players willing to join or even lead the rush. But together they had earned an expected goals percentage above 52% at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, since Sullivan promoted them and dropped Marcus Pettersson and John Marino to the third pair on March 6.