When Danton Heinen decided to return to the Penguins on a one-year, $1 million contract this past offseason, he instantly became one of the few bargains they had further down the lineup. Maybe not significantly more, but there's no doubt Heinen, who scored 15 goals at 5-on-5 last season, could have gotten a better payday and, perhaps, even more job security if he'd signed elsewhere. But Heinen loves this group and Mike Sullivan.
Through the first five games of this season, Heinen looked like an even bigger bargain. He had three goals and three assists (and another near-goal in Montreal), but more importantly, he was playing confident and assertive hockey.
After that fifth game, though, Heinen went the next 34 games without finding the back of the net, adding only five assists during that time and occasionally finding himself out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.
Two games is far too soon to say things have turned around for Heinen, but he really seems to have something cooking on the Penguins' fourth line with Ryan Poehling at center and Drew O'Connor at the left flank.
Over the past two games against the Panthers and Capitals, Heinen has scored twice to go along with two assists.
"Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't," Heinen said following the Penguins' morning skate Saturday in advance of their matchup with the Sharks here at PPG Paints Arena. "I'm not gonna lie, it does feel good to put a couple in. All you want to do is help the team. When you're not scoring, it's tough."
The funny part about Heinen busting out of his drought is that both recent goals were a result of getting his rear to the front of the net, rather than ripping shots past goalies from distance like many of his goals from last season.
"You go there a hundred times, it might not show up on your stick, but a couple times it does," Heinen said. "Just keep going there."
More important than just filling the net, the Penguins' fourth line of O'Connor-Poehling-Heinen has done a very good job of controlling play at both ends of the ice, something that's been nonexistent from the team's bottom-six for much of the season. They've only played a little over 20 minutes together at 5-on-5, but the Penguins' results with them out there have been very strong:
• 3 goals for
• 0 goals against
• 35 shot attempts
• 22 attempts against
• 20 shots
• 11 shots against
• 74.2% share of expected goals
Again, it's a really, really small sample we're dealing with here, but their performance to this point has been more encouraging than any other bottom-six combo of the last month or two.
"I think that's the most important thing, getting in on the forecheck, getting to the O-zone, getting loose pucks and creating chances," Heinen said of what's brought his line success. "We're trying to be up on them, trying to limit their time and space. Hopefully we can keep that going and turn some more pucks over."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Dustin Tokarski was the only expected absence from morning skate Saturday. It originally looked like the Penguins might have to count on emergency backup goalie Mike Chiasson, but Sullivan said Tokarski missed the skate because he's headed back to Pittsburgh following the birth of his daughter. He will be available for the game.
• Casey DeSmith will get the start in goal against the Sharks. He's 7-9-4 this season with a .904 save percentage, 3.26 goals against average and 3.58 goals saved above expected based on the quality of chances he's faced, per Evolving-Hockey.
• The Sharks played the Hurricanes in Raleigh Friday night, blowing a late two-goal lead before falling in overtime. James Reimer got the start, allowing five goals on 36 shots against. Their starter on Saturday will be Kaapo Kahkonen, David Quinn confirmed. The team in front of Kahkonen hasn't been good -- at all -- this season, but his performance has been just as bad. He is 5-9-4 with an .869 save percentage, 3.88 goals against average and and has allowed a whopping 20.6 goals more than expected.
• Quinn also mentioned the Sharks are dealing with illness issues. As so, he's not exactly sure what the lineup will look like Saturday night.
• Tristan Jarry has not returned to the ice yet as he deals with an upper-body injury. He is still in the off-ice stages of his rehab.
• Jan Rutta (upper-body, long-term injured reserve) skated on his own with Ty Hennes prior to morning skate. The soonest Rutta can be activated is Feb. 14, a gameday in San Jose.
• Both Kasperi Kapanen (undisclosed, injured reserve) and Josh Archibald (lower-body, long-term injured reserve) participated in the morning skate, but will not play against the Sharks Saturday. Although Archibald did not take line rushes, Kapanen skated on a fourth defense pairing with Mark Friedman.
• Because the Penguins had the day off Friday, it was a mandatory morning skate. Their workflow remained unchanged:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Brock McGinn - Teddy Blueger - Jeff Carter
Drew O'Connor - Ryan Poehling - Danton Heinen
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Jeff Petry
P.O Joseph - Chad Ruhwedel
Mark Friedman - Kasperi Kapanen
• The power-play personnel also remained unchanged ...
PP1: Crosby, Guentzel, Rakell, Malkin, Letang
PP2: Carter, Zucker, Rust, Heinen, Petry
• Sullivan mentioned part of the reason for reuniting Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin -- aside from their familiarity with each other -- is that Dumoulin had been playing better the last three or four weeks.
"We thought we would try that pair together again," Sullivan said.
• Puck drops against the Sharks at 7:08 p.m. tonight here at PPG Paints Arena. I'll be there with Dejan Kovacevic for your coverage.
