Penguins forward Ryan Poehling adapting to 3rd-line center duties

Ryan Poehling had to think for a moment.

Which did he have more pride in? A steal or the subsequent goal?

“Ummm,” Poehling pondered. “Probably the steal. 100%.”

And for a third-line center, defense should come first, right?

That was the case Saturday when Poehling generated the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first offense in a 4-3 home win against the rival Washington Capitals.

Midway through the second period, the Capitals’ top defenseman, John Carlson, controlled the puck at the left point of the offensive zone but was forced into turning it over by an onrushing Poehling. The puck then slid to the high slot, where Penguins forward Danton Heinen corralled it. As Heinen gathered it in, Poehling hit the gas and started pumping his legs up the right wing of the neutral zone, showing the backhand of his stick blade to Heinen, who fed him a pass.

Surging into the Capitals’ zone, Poehling fended off Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin and attacked the net from the right circle. Upon arrival, he flipped a forehand shot over the glove of goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

“I just tried to use my speed, and I knew that when you come that fast and pull the puck to the left, the goalie has to kind of react quick and slide,” Poehling said of his sixth goal this season. “So, I thought just putting the puck in on the right side would have given it a chance, and it went in.”

For the past four games, Poehling has been in the Penguins lineup as the team’s third-line center, a role that traditionally has considerable demands, particularly from a defensive standpoint.

The likes of Jordan Staal, Brandon Sutter, Nick Bonino and Jeff Carter (at least before this season) largely have established or met that standard, while others such as Riley Sheahan, Derick Brassard, Jared McCann, Nick Bjugstad and Mark Jankowski had (to be kind) mixed results.

Through four games, Poehling’s results have been in the black slightly, at least in terms of possession metrics. Over that span, he has been on the ice for 52 shot attempts for and 49 against according to Natural Stat Trick.

“I thought he really showed his speed on that goal, which is an important aspect of his game and helping us in so many ways,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

“He’s long, he’s got a long reach and he’s a smart player on both sides of the puck. I think there’s another level to his offensive game. His defensive game is really solid, and I think his speed is a big part of it. But I thought his speed was evident on the offensive side in that circumstance. Ryan has been through a lot this year, and I think he’s starting to play really well for us. He’s starting to get his timing and his conditioning — all those things are really starting to round into form.”

The “a lot” Sullivan references are the various injuries that have cost Poehling 29 games throughout December, January and February.

Poehling suggests those woes are behind him.

“I feel good,” he said. “You take your health for granted when you obviously don’t have any issues. But taking a step back and kind of working on all the things that I could to better myself physically, it’s been great. I feel great. I’m very blessed for that.”

Having a third line that can present a stout defensive presence while also chipping in some offense would be a blessing for a team that sorely needs balance throughout the lineup.

But there might be a more profound contribution that line can provide.

“Gaining momentum,” said first-line right winger Bryan Rust, previously a bottom-six forward in his career. “Obviously, it’s nice to chip in offense when you can. And playing good, hard defense, not allowing the other team is important, too. But gaining momentum, playing in the offensive zone, getting the puck, holding onto it, getting the crowd into it when we’re at home, things like that, I think really goes a long way.”

Poehling still has a long way to go before he can be considered the Penguins’ next third-line center of note. After all, he’s only four games into this deployment.

But he has a pretty firm grasp on how he can maximize the opportunity.

“Just play your game,” he said. “Obviously, you want to want to limit the chances for the opposing team and be good defensively. But also produce. Just playing the same way and getting more ice time is good.”