Even though it wasn’t his first career NHL game, Dominik Simon admitted Saturday morning there would be some nerves before the puck dropped.
Called up Friday from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Simon made his season debut — his sixth career NHL game — in the Penguins’ 4-3 loss to Toronto.
Before the opening faceoff, he took a moment to soak it in.
“Right from the beginning, warmups,” he said. “Then you hear the anthem, and it’s beautiful. It’s the best feeling ever for a hockey player, to get in the show and stand there for the anthem. It was beautiful.”
If the butterflies lasted beyond the anthems, it was tough to tell. Simon, with two assists, was one of few bright spots in the Penguins’ otherwise lackluster loss.
“Dominik is a real good offensive player,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s got great instincts, he sees the ice really well, he has the ability to think the game at that level.”
Simon's first assist came on the Penguins’ first goal, a Riley Sheahan score in the second period that cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1 at the time.
Simon used his speed through the neutral zone to get past Maple Leafs winger Connor Brown, and fed the puck past defenseman Ron Hainsey to Sheahan, who finished it off.
“I saw the space there right at the beginning,” Simon said. “So I wasn’t deciding, I passed it right away. It wasn’t the flattest pass, but he handled it real well and scored a nice one.”
Simon started the game on the third line with Sheahan and Patric Hornqvist, but his role changed slightly in the third period after Hornqvist left the game due to injury. Simon shifted up the lineup, playing alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel for much of the final period.
“We thought we’d try him up there and see how he did,” Sullivan said. “I thought he played really well. I thought he had a strong game.”
Simon had only seen some scattered minutes with Crosby in his first five NHL games, but didn’t look at all out of place.
“It’s unbelievable,” Simon said. “He makes the game so much easier for you. If you lose the puck or something, he’s always there to support you. He’s always there. It felt great.”
That combination helped lead to the Penguins’ third goal of the game, too. With time winding down in the third, Guentzel fed the puck up ice into the offensive zone. Simon made a move for the puck, but couldn’t quite get there, so he deftly lifted Auston Matthews’ stick and allowed the puck to slide through to Kris Letang, who found Crosby for an easy goal.
“Guentzy made a nice play through the middle,” Simon said. “I couldn’t get the puck, so I just tried to help so we could get the puck back. Tanger was there, made a beautiful pass to Sid and he buried it.”
This offensive production isn’t exactly new for Simon, either. While he’s still looking for his first NHL goal, he now has four assists in six career big-league games.
Simon got the nod Saturday because Tom Kuhnhackl was out with an upper-body injury, but if he keeps playing the way he did against Toronto, he might give Sullivan and the coaching staff a decision to make when it comes to filling out the lineup card.
“I will try my best,” he said. “I will work hard and do what I can so I can stay as long as possible.”
Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG.
First Published: December 10, 2017, 4:01 a.m.
