The Penguins benefited greatly the past two springs by the contributions of minor-league reinforcements like Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel.
It remains to be seen if Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon can have that type of impact, but they have the potential. They just haven’t been healthy lately, though that looks like it’s about to change.
It would appear that Simon will play tonight against the Devils after missing the past six games with a lower body injury sustained March 7 at Philadelphia.
Simon, who is likely to skate on the fourth line with Tom Kuhnhackl and Riley Sheahan, declared himself ready to go. Though he’s yet to participate in a full practice, Simon says he’s been a gym rat the last two weeks:
“I was like in the gym every day, had a lot of practice on the ice too," said Simon, who has four goals in 31 NHL games this season. "It's not like you jump on the ice after doing two weeks of nothing, but it feels good to be on the ice with the guys. Feel ready.”
Aston-Reese is making progress but said he’s hoping to return “hopefully in the next week."
A prized free agent signing from Northeastern last summer, Aston-Reese had four goals in 10 games before suffering an upper body injury in practice on Feb. 26. Obviously, it’s been a little bit frustrating to watch:
“It's always tough,” Aston-Reese said. “I only played 10 games, you get a little taste and then an injury sidelines you for a bit. But I think the staff has done a good job. We did our best to stay on top of it and stay in shape.”
With the playoffs approaching, Simon and Aston-Reese will be returning at a good time, too. The Penguins enter tonight’s game second in the Metro Division, four points behind the Capitals.
“Everybody knows what's at stake, so I’m looking forward (to it),” Simon said.
How much each will be used down the stretch and in the playoffs will depend on quite a few factors. The addition of Simon and, eventually, Aston-Reese will give Mike Sullivan quite a few options, which isn’t a bad problem to have anytime of the season.
“Two different types of players but two different players that we think can help our team and certainly make our team a better team,” Sullivan said.
• The Penguins' top-ranked power play is clicking at 26.2 percent, or nearly two points higher than second-place Tampa Bay. It's also on track to have the best percentage in franchise history. That's great, Sidney Crosby says, but it's not the percentage as much as the timeliness that counts most.
"I think with the power play, it’s always about the timing in the game," he said. "You want to have a great percentage, that’s important, but there’re going to be games where you’re only going to get one or two (chances) and it has to be the difference. You have to be able to execute in those situations. I think it’s about the timing and level of execution more than maybe just the number itself."
• Sheary has shots on goal in 10 consecutive games which isn't insignificant. Sheary, who has goals in two of the last seven games, is showing small signs of waking from a season-long slump.
"I think there’s always room to improve," he said. "I think my overall game has been better than it was in the middle stretch of the season. I think my linemates have been helping out a lot and we’ve been creating chances, and I think that’s important for me."
• Here's the link to my three keys for tonight's game.