Galchenyuk hopes to break the ice
Still looking for first goal as a Penguin
Alex Galchenyuk scooped up the bouncing puck in the slot and — with one slick flip of the wrist — backhanded it into the top corner of the net.
In that brief moment, it looked like everything had come together at once. Galchenyuk’s first goal in a Penguins sweater. Against Boston, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. To complete an improbable comeback win from a three-goal deficit.
A perfect moment … until it wasn’t. The referee waved off all that. That image, in some ways, sums up Galchenyuk’s first month-plus in Pittsburgh. He has had chances, sure. But, after dealing with a nagging lower-body injury that kept him out for two separate stints, he has played in seven games and still is searching for his first goal with the Penguins.
Surely, he wishes that he could have produced more on the score sheet.
“Absolutely,” Galchenyuk said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.
“That’s how it works sometimes. I’m just going to stick to it and keep working. The first couple games, I didn’t really have too many chances. The last couple games, I’m generating more chances, which is a positive sign. Now I’m just focused on burying them.”
When he was acquired from Arizona in the Phil Kessel trade, the Penguins initially imagined that Galchenyuk would play in a tandem with Evgeni Malkin. Both speak Russian. Both are dynamic in different ways. Should work, right?
Instant chemistry never materialized. That’s at least partially because Malkin missed a month with a lower-body injury and Galchenyuk battled a nagging lowerbody issue.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the Post-Gazette that initially Galchenyuk didn’t want to disclose the injury because he was trying to make a good first impression with a new club. But after toughing it out to play in the first three games, the smartest decision was to sit out and get closer to 100%.
He returned to the lineup Oct. 29 against Philadelphia and has one assist in his four games back, bringing his season total to three points.
“When you come into a new team, I think the best way to fit in is to get into games and try to get some wins together,” Galchenyuk said. “You don’t want to come in, new environment, new team and not really play much [in the] preseason.
“That’s why it was huge for me to play the first couple games. But I decided I wasn’t too effective and needed to heal up a little bit. Now I’m just trying to find my game back and work hard.”
In an effort to add a spark during the come-from-behind win Thursday night against the New York Islanders, coach Mike Sullivan moved Galchenyuk from Malkin’s line to Sidney Crosby’s left wing. Sullivan said that it’s something that the coaching staff has discussed and had in its back pocket for some time.
“We wanted to get [Galchenyuk] some games under his belt,” Sullivan said.
“If we didn’t feel as though it was going to work with Geno, this was a possibility.”
The move certainly sparked Malkin’s line. There’s no question about that. Bryan Rust (two goals), Jared McCann (one) and Malkin (one), all scored in the third period and overtime. But for Galchenyuk — a 30-goal scorer as recently as 2015-16 — the search for the elusive first goal with the Penguins continues.
“Obviously, he has the ability to score goals,” Sullivan said. “He’s shown that ability year-in and year-out in this league.
We tried him for quite some time with Geno’s line. We felt we’d make this change to see what happens.”
Galchenyuk has both pedigree and raw ability. He was drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2012. His wicked left-handed shot, especially, makes him a dangerous offensive player.
Now, he’s just waiting for a chance to show it.
“You could see that he’s working hard out there,” said Rust, his former linemate. “He’s getting his chances. … I think it’s only a matter of time before the floodgates open for him.”