Drive to the Net: Pettersson uses reach in debut taken at PPG Paints Arena (Penguins)

Marcus Pettersson. -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

6-feet-3 Marcus Pettersson took advantage of his long reach in his Penguins debut Tuesday, a 6-3 win over Colorado.

After the team's morning skate, Pettersson talked about what we could expect to see from his game.

“An overall two-way defenseman,” he said. “I think I play a pretty steady D. I play with a lot of pride in my D-zone and I think I can contribute offensively, as well. I would say I’m a two-way guy. I like to use my stick. I have a long reach.”

He did not disappoint.

Pettersson, paired with Jack Johnson in his debut, used his stick as promised, in his first shift as a Penguin. He cut across the ice on a 1-on-2 and used his stick to slow down Matt Calvert and prevent a chance:

Sergei Gonchar was seen speaking to Pettersson on the bench after the shift, appearing to tell Pettersson "good job" and offer instruction:

In Pettersson's next shift, he continued to take advantage of his long reach as he broke up passes with his stick and slowed down this Colorado rush:

Through the first 20 minutes of the game, Pettersson and Johnson were statistically the best pairing on the ice. Pettersson had the second-highest Corsi For Percentage of the Penguins in the first period at 55.56 percent, or 25.12 percent better than his teammates fared when he was not on the ice. He was on the ice for 10 Corsi for and 8 against.

In the second period, Pettersson used his reach to shut down two of Carl Soderberg's attempted shots:

Pettersson attempted two shots of his own in the win. His first attempt in the first period was blocked by Colin Wilson, but his shot in the third period made it to the net:

Mike Sullivan was pleased with Pettersson's performance after the game.

“First and foremost, we really liked his game,” said Sullivan. “I thought his gaps were really good, he’s got a long reach. He’s a mobile guy for a guy as big as he is. He plays hard in the battle areas. He’s hard to play against, we really like that aspect of his game. I think he can pass the puck, he made some really good first passes for us. So we really liked what we saw with Marcus.”

Sullivan said that the Penguins will still explore different pairing combinations moving forward, noting that the Penguins are challenged by having so many left-handed shots on the blue line. Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel are currently the only healthy right-handed defensemen on the roster. Of the left-handed defensemen, only Jamie Oleksiak, Jack Johnson, and Juuso Riikola are comfortable playing on the right side of the ice.

It isn't a reach to say that Pettersson has earned himself a spot on one of those pairings.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY

Penguins vs. Avalanche, PPG Paints Arena, Dec. 4, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

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