Penguins Room: Sullivan Pushes Buttons; Boko, Others See a Chance

Connor Dewar has quickly become a sparkplug for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offense. Boko Imama has brought an old-school hammer to the job. And coach Mike Sullivan is still pushing buttons while the team finds something it hasn’t had in some time.

These Penguins are never boring.

The Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 Friday at PPG Paints Arena, but that was only the beginning of several storylines.

Sullivan and the team apparently didn’t get the message that they are supposed to lose down the stretch and deliver a top-five draft pick. If such was the case, general manager Kyle Dubas might regret parting with that fifth-round pick to acquire Dewar and defenseman Conor Timmins from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While Timmins may have been the primary get in the trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs because the Penguins badly needed a right-handed defenseman, and Timmins fits the bill as another mid-20s player who needed a restart, Dewar has shockingly become an offensive contributor.

Sullivan is pushing the Dewar button, elevating him from the fourth line to the third line and then from the third line to the second line with Evgeni Malkin.

He scored three goals in two games, then handily set up the first goal Friday. He got the second assist because Philip Tomasino touched the puck on its way through the slot to Malkin, but the play was Dewar’s, and he’s got four points (3-1-4) in his last four games.

The positive effects of Dewar’s surprising play cascade through the Penguins lineup. The Malkin line has been in the offensive zone but has largely been quiet both on the score sheet and their impact on games, which doubled the pressure on the Sidney Crosby line to provide offense. With Danton Heinen on Malkin’s left wing, the line was just far too soft and ineffectual. Whether we are witnessing a trade bump, a hot streak, or Dewar’s emergence, he’s adding a wholly necessary element beside Malkin: a straight-ahead, puck retrieval, speed game.

Malkin does well with those types of wingers, players who figuratively can pull the sled. As a result, the Penguins have significantly more balance in the lineup.

The other button Sullivan is pressing, or rather not pressing, is pressure.

The Penguins weren’t exactly playing great hockey, certainly not lockdown hockey, during their recent four-game winning streak. Nay, that little run was fueled in large part by a few timely goals and many timely saves by Tristan Jarry.

Sullivan has obviously eased back on the reins. The new players, Dewar and Imama especially, just have an energy about them on the ice, and Sullivan is letting that organic energy flow.

“I think they’re excited, they’re competing hard, they bring great energy to the rink,” said Sullivan. “I think they’re trying to make the most of the opportunity here that’s in front of them. And so that energy is contagious amongst the group. It’s inspiring.”

We could have faced a dour or irritated Sullivan Friday, but we didn’t. Despite the near-horrendous defensive effort, the coach was largely in good spirits.

In fact, Rickard Rakell smiled broadly when I asked if the game was fun or if allowing 47 shots meant they needed to tighten up. He admitted he had a lot of fun in that game.

Boko Imama, Teammates Praise

It’s been a while since the Penguins had a player who adopted fighting as a core part of his game—not since Ryan Reaves in 2018 and Tom Sestito in 2016.

“Yeah, I think (the fight changed momentum). When you see these two really tough guys going at it, yeah it definitely gave us a little spark.”

Imama felt the Penguins were losing momentum in the first period, so he asked Olivier for the go. There’s little doubt that a bolt of energy shot through the building from the fans and team. Imama’s goal was the icing on the cake.

“That was great. The guy (has) got a really good shot, sneaky shot, and it was awesome to see right off the face-off–in and out of the net, too. Nobody really reacted right away. It was in and out so fast, so it was awesome to see,” said Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. “(I’m) very happy for him. He’s one of those guys that just works every day. Works. Hard-nosed. He just battles and just wants to compete and be around the boys. It was obviously a big fight in the first for us to keep the momentum going, and happy to see that he got rewarded, too.”

Imama is under no pretenses that he’s in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup to score goals, though when he scored just his second career goal Friday, the bench may have cheered louder than the fans. The heavyweight first-period fight against Mathieu Olivier, Imama brought the bench to its feet with stick taps even before the scrap was finished.

“I definitely asked (Oliver for the fight). I want to let my teammates, everybody, know that’s what I’m here to do,” said Imama. “You know, (I will ) play that physical game. And I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

Yet my favorite Imama reply Friday night was not about the fight, but about his opportunity to stick with the Penguins. He verbalized what a lot of others have somewhat timidly said. He wants to stay and he’s using the last 12 games as a center-stage audition to show what he’s got.

“Absolutely. These 12 games are not just any other games for me. Every day, I just take it day by day, and I go as hard as I can for sure,” Imama said. “My goal is to definitely be back as a Penguin next year.”