Tomasino Might Not Believe How Bad Penguins Were Before He Arrived

Did you see the dangle? The way Phil Tomasino took a feed from Evgeni Malkin, made a move as he got to the edge of the slot, then beat an off-balance Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman for what was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ winning goal Friday in Boston.

For an encore, Tomasino scored his second game-winning goal Saturday against the Calgary Flames, this one a one-timer set up by another Penguins legacy player, Kris Letang, on the power play.

“Just his ability to change the angles subtly to either free up space or get a shot off or change the angle to create some deception,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Tomasino on Monday after the team practiced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

“He without a doubt has helped us since he’s joined our team.”

The Penguins were struggling before Tomasino arrived a week ago in a trade with the Nashville Predators. Suddenly, they have won all three games since, their first three-game winning streak. They are scoring opportunistic goals. They are playing strong team defense. They are getting good goaltending.

Coincidence? Certainly, Tomasino, 23, isn’t responsible for all those things, although he did say after his first practice with the Penguins that he hoped to be a sparkplug for his new team. And he has made a tangible difference with those goals.

“It’s been fun,” Tomasino said. “Ever since I’ve been here, I think we’ve been playing really well. Not giving other teams a lot of time with the puck. We just have to keep it going here.”

Because he was playing in the other conference and focused on regaining the form that made him a first-round draft pick and led to a strong rookie season – he was a healthy scratch for the Predators several times and did not have a goal this season – Tomasino said he wasn’t all that familiar with how the Penguins were faring or playing before he arrived.

Who’s going to tell him?

He just knows what he’s seen of the team he grew up watching because of players like Malkin, Letang and Sidney Crosby.

“You look at our team, and we’ve obviously got some pretty high-end guys throughout the lineup,” Tomasino said. “I think we know we’re a heck of a team. … I think if we just continue to play that way, we can be a really good team.”

Partway through Tomasino’s three-game initiation with the Penguins, winger Drew O’Connor replaced Michael Bunting on the right side of that second line centered by Malkin.

“He makes so many plays with the puck. Just trying to get him the puck whenever I can,” Tomasino said of Malkin. “I think we’ve been clicking pretty well here. We still know we’ve got more here. It’s going to be fun.

“You have to always be ready and expect the puck with (Malkin or Crosby). The first game was a little bit different for me, getting used to that. I think the last two games have been a little bit better. Always be ready when ‘Geno’ has the puck. There’s been a few times where he’s made some pretty nice plays to me in particular, and I’ve been ready. Hopefully, we can continue to connect.”

In his first couple seasons adjusting to becoming an NHL player, O’Connor often played with Malkin or Crosby and in an interview with PHN about a year ago talked about improving as he got better at anticipating passes from those highly skilled centers. Tomasino, who can play all three forward spots, is just the latest young player to go through that.

“I think he’s a smart player and he sees the ice well, so that’s helped him,” O’Connor said. “You’ve seen early on the ability to get shots off and get pucks to the net.”

One area Sullivan a couple times has mentioned where Tomasino needs to improve is his defensive awareness. The Penguins apparently are willing to be patient with Tomasino.

“We think we can help Philip in that aspect, but certainly he’s competing hard for us, and he’s made a difference,” Sullivan said.

Two game-winning goals in three games has assuredly made a difference.

“Two big goals for the team, but for myself as well,” Tomasino said. “That (goal in Boston) was my first goal of the year. Feels good to get those for the team, but also for myself – it gives me a little more confidence as well.”

Things haven’t been quite as smooth off the ice for Tomasino, who was with Nashville on the road when the trade happened. So, as he mentioned a few times, he arrived with one suit, leaving a lot of room in his suitcase for loads of adrenaline and enthusiasm in this new start.

But he still has to do something about the wardrobe. He’s already been warned about the challenge it can be for newcomers to navigate the Pittsburgh area, but he hopes to figure out how to get to Ross Park Mall soon.

“The clothing situation is still a work in progress. That might take a little more time,” he said with a laugh.