Hunwick playing his best hockey

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Excuse Matt Hunwick if he’s not exactly in a mood to celebrate.

But with the Penguins struggles — they had lost four of five and three in a row entering a game Saturday night at Arizona — has come a resurgence for Hunwick.

Hunwick returned Nov. 18 from a 15-game absence because of a concussion. In that time, he feels he’s playing his best hockey of the season, a statement he made after scoring the first overtime goal of his career in a 43 win Dec. 7 against the New York Islanders.

“I’m happy with my skating and the way my legs are feeling,” Hunwick reiterated Wednesday in Las Vegas.

There are numbers that bear that out.

Hunwick scored in his first game back and has three goals on the season, most among Penguins defensemen.

In the six games he played before the concussion, Hunwick was a 42.6-percent possession player. That number has shot up to 51.6 in the past 12, 58.6 in the past five.

Hunwick’s five-on-five scoring chances also have decreased, from 9.8 before the concussion to 7.8 after.

Whether he has played on the left or right side, with Olli Maatta or Ian Cole, things have seemed to stabilize a bit for Hunwick, whom the Penguins signed in offseason to a three-year contract worth a total of $6.75 million.

“He’s a good skater, a really smart player,” Maatta said. “He’s playing really well right now. He makes things a lot easier for me, for sure, when he’s talking out there. He’s always in the right spot. It goes both ways. I have to make sure I’m doing the same thing — talk to him and support him all around.”

Comparing schedules

When the Coyotes visited Pittsburgh Nov. 7, Arizona coach Rick Tocchet and Phil Kessel vented over two difficult early season schedules.

While Saturday marked the Penguins’ 17th road game in a 73-day stretch, it’s nothing compared to Arizona, which has played an NHL-record 21 away games in 66 days.

“I was talking to Phil last time, he was whining about it,” Tocchet said Saturday before the game. “I said, ‘Don’t even complain to me. I don’t want to hear it.’ I know they’ve had a tough schedule, but they don’t compare to our schedule.”

Right guy, right spot

Arizona began the game Saturday with an NHL-low seven wins. They had lost five in a row, scored the second-fewest number of goals (76), given up the most (118) and had the worst goal differential (minus-42).

But Tocchet knew what was in store when he took the job, and it’s one of the reasons why the Coyotes hired Tocchet, believing he had the patience and drive to turn this thing around.

“He’s a battle-tested guy,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “If anybody’s built for it, it’s him.”

Line it up

On a three-game road trip and with no back-to-backs for a month, it wouldn’t have been out of place for Sullivan to play backup goalie Tristan Jarry Saturday night.

But Matt Murray only returned from a six-game absence Thursday, which prompted Sullivan to stick with his starter in goal.

“Matt’s just come back, so I think it’s important that Matt get some games,” Sullivan said. “He’s our No. 1 goalie. We believe Matt gives us the best chance to win on any given night when Matt’s at his best. For all those reasons, it’s important that he’s in goal.”

Sullivan also tweaked his second and third lines. After one of his best games all season in Vegas, Carl Hagelin jumped up to play with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist — back on the right side.

That created a third line of Conor Sheary, Riley Sheahan and Phil Kessel, one of the few times this season Sullivan has separated Malkin and Kessel.

Cup hangover

In case you haven’t heard, Sullivan and Tocchet are close. According to Tocchet, Sullivan expected his team to have a bit of a hangover this season after winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.

Tocchet also doesn’t expect the Penguins’ recent struggles to last.

“I know Sully talked in the summer, he expected a little bit of a hangover,” Tocchet said. “They’ll get it together. I really believe that. I’m a big believer that you get your team ready a month before the playoffs. Usually, those are the teams that do well in the playoffs.”