Early in the Penguins’ recent road trip, Mike Sullivan gave a revealing answer when asked about young forward Philip Tomasino, who arrived via a trade in November.
Sullivan said it had been “a little bit of an up-and-down road that Philip and I have gone through” and suggested the winger hadn’t exactly embraced the dirty work that does not show up on the score sheet but could help the Penguins win games.
“So,” Sullivan said Jan. 20, “we’re going to hold him accountable to those things.”
A clear and very public example of that came Wednesday at Utah, when Tomasino was a healthy scratch for the first time with the Penguins. Pittsburgh won the game.
Based on the lineup at Friday’s practice, it looks like Tomasino will get back in the lineup Saturday. Tomasino acknowledged it is an important game for him. The Penguins are hosting his former team, the Nashville Predators, at PPG Paints Arena.
“So tomorrow’s a new day,” Tomasino said. “[Saturday is] a big game for me, just because it’s against my former team. I’m really looking forward to that challenge.”
After the Penguins traded for Tomasino, a former first-round pick of the Predators who fell out of favor in Nashville, Sullivan noted there might be growing pains with Tomasino. He is a skilled 23-year-old but needs to round out the rest of his game.
His inconsistencies were easy to overlook when he was producing. He had three goals in his first five games with the Penguins, including the winner at Boston on Nov. 29. He had his first multi-point game with Pittsburgh exactly one month later.
But so far in 2025, Tomasino has tallied only three points with a minus-2 rating in nine games. The advanced statistics with him on the ice at 5-on-5 have been mixed.
And the morning before the Penguins beat the Kings in Los Angeles, Sullivan by his standards was candid about the things he believed are lacking in Tomasino’s game.
“He’s a talented player. We’re trying to encourage Philip to embrace other aspects of the game, maybe some of the subtleties of the game that are not as easily quantifiable like a goal and an assist, but they add up to winning,” the coach said.
Sullivan mentioned battling on the boards, finishing checks and going to the net.
“Things of that nature are required if we are going to have success as a group and we’re going to win and if he’s going to have success as a player,” he said.
Of course, Tomasino went out that night and set up an Evgeni Malkin score with a nifty backhand pass. That provided a reminder of the winger’s tantalizing talents.
But after the Penguins dropped the next three games, he exited the lineup at Utah. Boko Imama and Jesse Puljujarvi were among the forwards who suited up instead.
Sullivan had a conversation with Tomasino about that decision, but he declined to divulge any details. He did say what he wants to see from Tomasino going forward.
“When Philip’s at his best, I think he drives a lot of offense for us with his tenacity and his speed. He plays a straight-ahead game. He’s strong on pucks. He’s willing to get inside and go to the net. I think that’s when he’s at his best,” Sullivan said. “We didn’t think he was at his best. That’s one of the reasons we made the decision.”
Friday, Tomasino was asked about being a healthy scratch for the first time here.
“I feel pretty good. It is what it is. I feel like I’ve been playing pretty good. I don’t really want to comment too much on it,” said Tomasino, who carefully chose his words. “But obviously we won last game, so it worked obviously. I want to be back in. I want to help our team win. So whenever I get my next chance, I’ll be ready.”
It looks like that may come Saturday against his former team. If so, it will be a nice gesture by Sullivan, getting Tomasino back in the lineup for a meaningful matchup.
Tomasino acknowledged there are “still areas of my game that I want to continue to work on.” He said he’s on the same page as Sullivan in terms of the expectations.
“He’s obviously so smart. He knows the game so well. He’s won. ... He’s been pretty upfront with me in terms of his messaging,” Tomasino said. “So that’s all you can ask for.”
First Published: January 31, 2025, 8:48 p.m.
Updated: February 1, 2025, 12:17 a.m.
