Tanner Pearson had some golden opportunities in his Penguins debut, a 4-3 loss to the Lightning, but he wasn't able to capitalize on those chances.
Pearson debuted on the left side of the Penguins' first line with Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. In 13:43 of ice time, Pearson didn't contribute in many ways that would show up on a scoresheet. He didn't score, and he was only credited with one hit. He finished with a Corsi For percentage of 58.33, or 10.19 percent better than the Penguins' performed when he wasn't on the ice.
The numbers aren't anything to fawn over. What else did he do?
Pearson was one of the Penguins' stronger net-front presences in the loss. His persistence paid off in the second period. Pearson drove to the net towards a loose puck, forcing defenseman Ryan McDonagh to slide over and cover him, leaving Hornqvist open. The puck slid through traffic and to an open Hornqvist, who shot it through the legs of Louis Domingue.
Pearson wouldn't be credited with an assist for his efforts, but that doesn't mean he didn't play a role.
Later that same period, Pearson again planted himself right in the crease. Malkin carried the puck behind Tampa's net and attempted to pass the puck through the paint to Pearson, but Pearson wasn't able to get his stick on the ice in time to receive the pass:
The closest call may have been the one in the third period. Malkin sent the puck towards Pearson in the crease, who had his stick and skates turned outward looking to get the redirect, but Pearson was unable to connect:
Pearson also made a number of bad passes in the loss, with the first notable instance coming in the waning seconds of the Penguins' first power play of the game. Pearson attempted to pass the puck to Jack Johnson at the point, but sent the puck sailing just out of reach of Johnson and out of the Penguins' offensive zone:
Just as another Penguins power play expired in the second period, Pearson's bad pass led to a turnover. Rather than send the puck to the open Derek Grant, Pearson attempted a blind pass to Dominik Simon just to his right. McDonagh blocked the pass with his stick, and forced a turnover:
Despite the loss, Mike Sullivan was pleased with the performance of Pearson and his linemates. Pearson is still building chemistry with his new linemates, but Sullivan would like to see him shoot the puck more in the coming games. While Pearson was in position for multiple redirect chances throughout the game, he didn't actually record any shots on goal.
"Tanner is a guy that we think can help us offensively," Sullivan said after the game. " ... I thought he was on the puck tonight. He had a couple of opportunities to shoot the puck as well. That's something that we're encouraging all of our guys to do. But I thought Geno's line in particular was pretty good for us 5-on-5."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Lightning, PPG Paints Arena, Nov. 15, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS