After stint as a healthy scratch, Penguins’ Kasperi Kapanen will likely return to the lineup
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It’s been a while since Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen produced offensively.
His last offensive contribution came in the form of two assists during a 6-3 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 22.
Then again, it’s been awhile since he was even in the lineup.
Kapanen’s last game was a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 12.
In total, he’s been a healthy scratch for nine of the team’s past 10 games.
“It sucks,” Kapanen said. “That’s all I’ve got to stay about that.”
Presumably, Kapanen hopes his actions speak louder than his limited words with a home contest against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
During Monday’s practice at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside, Kapanen skated on the team’s third line with Jeff Carter at center and Brock McGinn on the left wing.
Should that deployment hold going into Tuesday’s game, forward Danton Heinen likely would be a healthy scratch.
Limited to three assists in the past 17 games, Heinen skated on a “fourth” defensive pairing with reserve Chad Ruhwedel on Monday.
“It’s never fun watching,” Kapanen said. “It’s just good to be back on the ice and playing with (Carter and McGinn). Hopefully, tomorrow I can do something and produce and help the team win.”
Kapanen and the Penguins produced in the early stages of the season. During the first five games, Kapanen had five points (one goal, four assists) as the Penguins raced to a 4-0-1 start.
Then came a dreadful seven-game losing streak starting with a 6-3 road setback against the Edmonton Oilers. By Nov. 9, Kapanen began to be scratched.
“I started off well,” Kapanen said. “We had that stretch where the team was struggling. We had to make some changes. It is what it is. That’s in the past. Just happy to be back in the lineup and hopefully compete with these guys.”
Penguins management has a pretty clear idea of how Kapanen can ascend again.
“His speed is his biggest asset, in my opinion,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re trying to help (Kapanen) utilize his speed in different capacities, whether it be challenging (defensemen) off the rush and trying to take them wide and trying to take the puck to the net — as opposed to turning up — and forcing defensemen to have to defend him. That’s an area that he can really help us there. If he doesn’t get a scoring chance or score a goal, he’s going to draw a penalty. There’s a lot of ways that (Kapanen) can utilize his speed. That’s one of them.
“He’s a big strong guy. He can get involved in the grind game down low, in the cycle game. In today’s game in the NHL, you have to be able to create offense different ways. It can’t just be off the rush. There has to be a grind game down low. That’s an area where he’s very capable. We’re trying to help him in that regard as well.”
Despite the indignity of being a healthy scratch while carrying an ample salary cap hit of $3.2 million, Kapanen is reported to have been a good citizen in the dressing room while largely being a spectator in recent weeks.
“He’s been good,” Carter said. “It’s obviously not an easy situation. But he’s been through it before. He just came to the rink every day with a good attitude and worked hard, just waiting for his time to get back in. Excited for him.”
Much of the limited production Kapanen has enjoyed over the past two seasons has come with Carter as his center. In fact, Kapanen’s first three points this season involved Carter winding up on the scoresheet in some fashion.
“We get along real well, on and off the ice,” said Carter, who knew Kapanen as a child when he was teammates with his father, forward Sami Kapanen, as members of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000s. “That goes a long way come game time. I think for us, and for maybe him, (the goal) is to just to keep it simple, simplify, use his speed and get pucks to the net.”
It’s a sound formula given Kapanen’s fleet skating ability. But Kapanen has far too infrequently put it into action throughout his tenure with the team.
He professes an eagerness to change that beginning with Tuesday’s game.
“You always want to (play),” Kapanen said. “I’m just eager to get back out there and have a lot of energy and do what I can to help.”
Notes:
The Penguins’ lines and pairs in practice on Monday were:
59 Jake Guentzel – 87 Sidney Crosby – 67 Rickard Rakell
16 Jason Zucker – 71 Evgeni Malkin – 17 Bryan Rust
23 Brock McGinn – 77 Jeff Carter – 42 Kasperi Kapanen
25 Ryan Poehling – 53 Teddy Blueger – 15 Josh Archibald
28 Marcus Pettersson – 58 Kris Letang
73 P.O Joseph – 26 Jeff Petry
8 Brian Dumoulin – 44 Jan Rutta
The first power-play unit included Crosby, Guentzel, Letang, Malkin and Rust. The second unit involved Carter, Kapanen, Petry, Rakell and Zucker.