Penguins rookie scores
Recently called-up Sam Lafferty nets his first NHL goal since Nov. 30.
WASHINGTON — Entering Sunday’s 4-3 win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena, rookie Sam Lafferty had gone 16 games and a short stint in the American Hockey League since his most recent NHL goal.
Lafferty, whom the Penguins called back up Saturday, finally broke through in the first period Sunday, crossing the blue line with speed then snapping a wrist shot over the right shoulder of goalie Ilya Samsonov. The goal, his fifth of the season, came 68 seconds after the Capitals grabbed a 1-0 lead.
“Their [defenseman] was pretty far back because he wasn’t really anticipating it,” the 24-year-old said. “So I had some room to shoot and I just let it go.”
He flashed a toothy grin after scoring his first NHL goal since Nov. 30.
“It felt great,” he said. “It was nice to contribute and get the win today.”
Last week, the Penguins opted to call up follow forwards Andrew Agozzino and Anthony Angello for their first game after the AllStar break and left Lafferty in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Lafferty didn’t stay there for long. After scoring two goals in three AHL games, he was added to the NHL roster Saturday.
“It was good just to play a bunch of minutes and kind of get back to the basics,” he said. “So I think it was really good and I think my game’s better for it.”
Coach Mike Sullivan, looking for a bigger body up front, inserted Lafferty back in the lineup against the Capitals. Agozzino was a healthy scratch. The move paid off. Lafferty had a plus-1 rating in just under six minutes of ice time.
“He’s had a couple of strong games in WilkesBarre. … We thought against an opponent like Washington he might be a guy that we could utilize on that fourth line,” Sullivan said. “He had a great game. He was skating out there. He was physical when he had the opportunity. And he scored a huge goal for us.”
Kahun sits
Dominik Kahun missed his third game in a row with a concussion. The winger has not practiced with the team since suffering the concussion Jan. 19 against Boston, though he has skated in an individual setting without contact.
Defenseman Chad Ruhwedel — who missed a chunk of the Flyers game due to an injury, but returned to finish that game — was good to go Sunday. He again played on his off side next to Justin Schultz. Juuso Riikola was scratched.
The Penguins are bringing both Kahun and center Nick Bjugstad, who is still working his way back from surgery to repair a core muscle, with them to Florida for their week-long road trip. The Penguins stayed in D.C. after Sunday’s game to watch the Super Bowl and will fly to Tampa on Monday morning.
Jake Guentzel, his right arm still in a sling, was with the Penguins Sunday in Washington.
Nice try, Kuznetsov
During the second period, the Capitals got called for too many men, despite an amusing effort to avoid a penalty by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Seeing the Capitals had six skaters, he tried to jump on the Penguins bench.
“He tried to get on our bench? That’s a smart play,” Sidney Crosby said, chuckling. “Give him credit. If you can’t get to your own, you might as well try that.”
McCann adjusting again
When Crosby returned to the lineup, Jared McCann, often the team’s second-line center in his absence, moved back to the wing. In the past seven games, the speedy 23year-old, has two assists and a minus-4 rating while adjusting to being a winger again.
“I played 40 games at center this year. It’s a little different, obviously, playing the wing. Especially with a player like him, he’s so good that you want to be good for him every night,” he said Saturday. “It’s a lot of pressure. But I like it.”