When the red light finally came on, Evan Rodrigues hunched over and unleashed a guttural scream that appeared to be equal parts exhilaration and relief.
It was an important goal for the Penguins, pulling them within a goal of the Carolina Hurricanes, though they would still lose, 4-3, Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.
But there is no doubt it meant more to Rodrigues, who after being one of the NHL’s biggest first-half surprises had inexplicably gone 18 games without a goal.
“You try not to think about it when the puck’s not going in for you,” Rodrigues said after ending that drought with his 16th goal of the season. “You just try to shoot your way through it, and try to stay confident and positive throughout it.”
The last two games, both losses, the Penguins utilized Rodrigues as their third-line center. Coach Mike Sullivan shook up his bottom six to in part to give Evgeni Malkin a straight-line, shoot-first winger in Jeff Carter. But he also had in mind Rodrigues, who recently said that he feels more like himself in the middle.
Over the last couple of weeks, with his shots still not connecting, Rodrigues was clearly pressing. He was one of the primary reasons the Penguins were in playoff position despite myriad health issues, with 30 points in their first 33 games. Then the production dried up, with just three assists over his next 18.
His breakthrough came with 1:12 seconds left and the Penguins on a 6-on-4 power play. Malkin sent a perfect seam pass to the left circle, where Rodrigues gripped it and ripped it. His one-timer blew by Carolina’s Antti Raanta’s glove.
“I thought E-Rod played a real good game all [afternoon]. The fact that he scored is a bonus for us,” Sullivan said. “It was a real nice goal. It was a great shot.”
The Penguins hope that it will reignite Rodrigues. They had not been getting much of anything from their middle six before Sullivan shuffled his lines again ahead of Thursday’s loss in Toronto, and his struggles certainly played into that.
“It was obviously nice to see that one go in today,” said the 28-year-old, slated to be a free agent after this season. “And hopefully [I will] build from there.”
Hello again, McGinn
Sunday was Brock McGinn’s first game against the Hurricanes, with whom he spent the first nine years of his NHL career before joining the Penguins last July.
“I have a lot of friends over there. I started my career in Carolina and it was a lot of fun,” McGinn said Saturday. “There’s always a soft spot in my heart there.”
In 13-plus minutes of ice time Sunday, McGinn threw hits and fired two shots on goal. He had a good look in the second period, getting a step on Ethan Bear as he charged down the wing. But his shot sailed wide of Raanta’s blocker side.
Sullivan recently said McGinn has more offensive ability than first expected.
“Brock has brought everything that we anticipated that he would bring and then some. It’s been a little bit more in the sense that his ability to generate offense for us has been impressive,” he said. “He’s got 10 with virtually zero power-play time. I think that’s impressive. He’s a really good 5-on-5 player.”
Power-play outage
The Penguins did get a power-play goal when Rodrigues scored late at 6-on-4. But prior to that, they got little going against the league’s top-ranked penalty kill. And they allowed a breakaway, one game after giving up a short-handed goal.
“We just weren’t quite connecting. I know I had a few plays that I should have made and I have made a lot and I didn’t make them. And it’s unfortunate,” Bryan Rust said. “It’s definitely an aspect of the game where up until the last couple of games we were really, really good and helping our team get momentum.”
Rust then noted that “it was kind of the opposite” these last two games.
Crosby honored
Prior to Sunday’s game, the Penguins recognized Sidney Crosby’s 500th career goal, which he scored in Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia at PPG Paints Arena.
Longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang joined Crosby at center ice and handed him a solid gold stick and a plaque commemorating his milestone. Crosby waved to the PPG Paints Arena crowd as they gave him a standing ovation.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: February 20, 2022, 11:46 p.m.
