Getting to play with Sidney Crosby — and simply playing more in general — might have had something to do with it, but Derick Brassard sure had a blast at a new position Saturday in Montreal.
“I loved the experience, and I think it’s going to bring the best out of me,” he said Monday.
Brassard, exclusively a center during his NHL career, lined up on Crosby’s left wing throughout the 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens. He had a team-high three takeaways, fired one shot on goal and “had a lot of fun” even though his line — himself, Crosby and Jake Guentzel — did not score.
“I feel like we had some good looks. We had the puck a lot. We didn’t score any goals, but I liked our game,” the 31-year-old said, later adding, “I think we can be an effective line.”
Brassard indicated that the Penguins plan to keep that line together Tuesday when they host the Vancouver Canucks at PPG Paints Arena.
“I loved it and I can’t wait to try it again [Tuesday],” he said.
Coach Mike Sullivan and the Penguins talked during the offseason about trying Brassard at wing. But after Brassard missed the first few days of training camp with an illness, he settled in as their third-line center and had a strong preseason.
Brassard was still manning the middle as recently as Friday’s practice in Cranberry, so the timing was surprising when the move finally came.
Putting Brassard on Crosby’s left meant that Guentzel shuffled to his right. Brassard theorized that he started on the left wing because the coaching staff thought it would be easier for him on his strong side and because “Jake is really comfortable playing on both sides."
“Instead of being on my backhand for the breakouts and on my backhand in the neutral zone, I think it made more sense,” said Brassard, a lefty. “I’m open for both. I think it’s a little easier to enter the offensive zone on your backhand because you have the option of cutting into the middle and you’re still on your strong side.”
Brassard said he had some issues with timing, especially when getting back on defense because he is used to charging down the middle so he can support the play. In the defensive zone, a winger typically has to keep tabs on defensemen who charge in from the point and do more work along the wall.
But there is one big perk.
“You skate a little less,” Brassard said with a grin. “When you play the center position, it’s goal line to goal line usually.”
General manager Jim Rutherford told the Post-Gazette on Monday that Brassard will likely return to center at some point. But Brassard said he could envision himself making a successful transition like Claude Giroux did in Philadelphia last season, when he scored 34 goals and 102 points.
“He had a career year for him playing with [Sean] Couturier, who’s a really good center,” Brassard said. “So yeah, I’m open to it. Playing with those two guys, I know I can make those plays and be a good player for that line. You just need more games. Eventually, we’re going to have a breakout game.”
Grant back with the Penguins
With Matt Murray back in the mix, the Penguins returned goalie Tristan Jarry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday and recalled forward Derek Grant, who spent a few days with their AHL affiliate. Grant, who has yet to play in the NHL this season, scored a goal in his lone game with the Baby Penguins.
“It was nice to play and get into a game,” Grant said. “It’s been a couple weeks for me, so it’s good to get in and keep that timing — take a lot of faceoffs and that kind of thing. It goes a long way.”
Grant was initially sent down after Murray suffered a concussion a week ago, necessitating the Jarry call-up. While Grant was bummed out, he said he understood why he was sent down and tried to stay positive. He was pretty sure he’d be back in Pittsburgh soon — assuming another team didn’t claim him.
“You never know, I guess,” he said. “It’s a long 24 hours, that’s for sure.”
Murray’s quick return ‘encouraging’
Speaking of Murray, Sullivan said he is relieved that Murray recovered from his latest concussion — it was the goalie's third in 30 months — and was sidelined for less than a week before getting cleared to play. Murray backed up Casey DeSmith in Montreal after completing the concussion protocol.
“We’ve obviously excited that he’s healthy,” Sullivan said. “It's great for our team. It's great for Matt. It's certainly encouraging that it didn't linger and it wasn’t a concussion that lasted a significant amount of time.”
Of Corsi not
Some members of the analytics community was not a fan of the Jack Johnson signing. It appears the feeling is mutual.
“I can tell you after the game if I played well or not. I don’t need advanced stats,” Johnson said when asked about high opposition shot totals when he’s on the ice. “I can shoot one from the other end of the rink and put it on net and get a shot on goal. Or it’s a Grade-A chance. It’s a huge difference.”
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MattVensel.
First Published: October 15, 2018, 3:21 p.m.
