Any lingering concern over why the Penguins signed 41-year-old Matt Cullen seems to disappearing by the second.
Or at least it should be.
Nearly 10 days into the preseason, Cullen has hardly looked over the hill, out of place or both – and he may be getting even more comfortable.
Cullen made his preseason debut Saturday in the Penguins’ 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, scored a pair of goals and centered a line with Zach Aston-Reese and Patric Hornqvist that was effective for pretty much the entire night.
“It’s fun to get into the games,” Cullen said. “Camp is great, but it’s nice to get in a game. Lot of practices the past few days. Fun to get out there, get in this rink and play a game.”
Cullen scored the Penguins’ second goal, at 9:19 of the first period, when video review confirmed that his wraparound attempt did indeed cross the goal line.
While that was more a display of Cullen’s smarts and awareness in space, his second goal – flipping a loose puck past Jean-Francois Berube with little room to maneuver – showcased Cullen’s considerable skill.
Cullen played 14:32, recorded six shots on goal and also tacked on an assist.
“It’s a big boost when you’re able to get a couple [goals] in preseason and get off to the right start,” Sidney Crosby said. “[Cullen] looked really good. He had a couple [goals], but the whole line created some really good chances all night.”
It’s doubtful that, when the regular season rolls around, Cullen will be centering a line that features Patric Hornqvist at right wing.
But the veteran center wouldn’t be out of place if that’s what was asked of him, and that’s one of the reasons the Penguins wanted to bring Cullen back, that sort of versatility.
After Cullen signed the one-year, $650,000 contract, however, it wasn’t met with the same sort of elation that existed when Cullen agreed to terms two years prior with the Penguins.
Many who were critical of the deal brought up some of Cullen’s advanced numbers with Minnesota last season, specifically a five-on-five shot share of 40.9 percent, worst among NHL players who logged at least 800 minutes. Cullen’s scoring-chance percentage (42.2) was equally as gruesome, although that had him fifth from the bottom.
Pointing to those numbers and predicting they’ll play out in Pittsburgh, though, is a fool’s errand. Completely different systems, completely different responsibilities placed on Cullen.
Over the summer, Cullen said that how the Penguins play is naturally how he’s always thought about the game. North-south. Quick transition. Skating game. Go, go, go. Cullen with the Wild was oil and water.
“It slows down the way that you play when you’re not fully comfortable with the way your team plays,” Cullen said. “The first half of the year was awfully tough really adjusting, trying to adjust my game to the way that we played. It was just not a good fit in that regard.”
Flip to Pittsburgh.
Cullen loves being bounced around different places, up and down the lineup, center or wing. Sullivan loves Cullen’s skating, leadership and how he never seems to be in the wrong place.
Add to that the locker room presence that Cullen brings, and it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that this has worked out well.
“He’s a good player,” Sullivan said of Cullen. “He’s just a smart player. He’s a competitive guy. I think he likes the way we play. I think it plays to his strengths.
“When you win Stanley Cups like he has with some of his teammates, it’s a galvanizing experience. I have to believe that those relationships that he’s built over time, here with our team, certainly helps win with his confidence level and comfort level with being a Penguin and playing the way we want to play.”
Crosby has feel
Crosby made his preseason debut, too, and finished with a pair of assists. A couple days ago, Crosby talked about wanting to get a feel for things – taking hits, rushes, setups, the whole deal.
Suffice to say, the feel is there.
On Kris Letang’s goal, Crosby waited an extra tick for the defenseman to pop into view. On Adam Johnson’s marker, Crosby’s hard stop created separation, and he afforded extra space to Letang.
“Preseason is always going to be a little bit choppy,” Crosby said. “We did some good things. Created some good chances. You want to get better with every game. That’s the most important thing.”
‘In a very different place’
Letang whipped his shot from the slot high-glove past Joonas Korpisalo, a goal-scorer’s goal.
A year ago, Letang might’ve easily fired wide, his confidence shaken.
It’s been evident for a couple weeks now, but everyone is starting to find out that Letang is definitely different than he was last summer, when he was consumed with how his neck would feel and never truly felt comfortable.
“He’s in a very different place than he was a year ago,” Sullivan said, “and that’s good for us.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: September 23, 2018, 12:09 a.m.
