CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The game on his stick Wednesday night in Washington, Garrett Wilson had a chance to give the Penguins a win. With 9:57 remaining, Phil Kessel pushed the puck ahead to Wilson at the far blue line, springing the 27-year-old journeyman on a clear breakaway. It would have been his first NHL goal. His first NHL point.
In Hollywood, they might have a movie about a moment like that.
In reality, Braden Holtby stopped him with a blocker, his team lost, 2-1, and the losing streak reached five.
Afterward, linemate and fellow call-up, Zach Aston-Reese swore that Wilson was going to try to roof a backhand to the top shelf on the former Vezina winner. In the AHL, Wilson probably would have. In the NHL, just shoot.
"Yeah, probably could have given him a leg pump, but it's easier to say now," Wilson was saying with a smile after practice Friday at the Lemieux Sports Complex. "I just wanted to get a good shot on the net. And usually low blocker is old faithful there but it didn't work for me there. He read it pretty good."
Wilson has spent the past eight years going from minor-league outpost to minor-league outpost. He'd played in 34 previous games in the NHL with the Panthers, the last of which was April 24, 2016. After signing with the Penguins as a free agent, he's spent the past two-plus seasons in Wilkes-Barre. He'd been serving as the AHL affiliate's captain for the first month of the season. Most people didn't have Wilson pegged to play in Pittsburgh this season, but a lack of punch in the bottom six prompted his recall.
Though Wednesday saw his first NHL game after 927 days, Wilson says it didn't feel like it.
"Had some nerves in the first, but once I got that first shift under my belt I kind of settled in and started to feel a lot more comfortable, and it’s just great to be back," he said.
That first shift, seven minutes into the game, was one of the best for the Penguins' new-look fourth line, featuring Wilson on the left, Aston-Reese on the right and Matt Cullen in the middle. That line had 1,509 NHL games of experience -- 1,459 of them Cullen's.
Wilson played 6:20 over nine shifts and had two shots to go along with three hits and drawing a Jakub Vrana tripping penalty in the second period.
No, the fourth line didn't score but it did combine for five hits, three shots and had a strong 58.92 Corsi For percentage, as well as providing the Penguins some intangibles in what Mike Sullivan deemed to be one of his team's best performances of the season.
"I thought they had an impact on the game," Sullivan said of Wilson, Cullen and Aston-Reese. "They had some really good offensive zone time. They were physical when they had an opportunity. They were hard on pucks. Willy had a breakaway. They draw a penalty. They had an impact on the game. I thought they helped us with momentum, with energy. That's what we're asking of that line."
It's unknown whether that line stays together Saturday night when the Penguins host the Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena, but chances are it will.
Wilson might not have Daniel Sprong's pedigree or scoring touch, but he is a traditional fourth-liner and he embraces that role and all that comes with it.
"As a fourth line, your main goal is to create energy and play in the opponents' end and wear them down and I felt, for the most part, our line was able to do that," he said. "We were able to create a few good looks."
And if Wilson gets another breakaway chance, maybe he'll go backhand this time. As a kid who grew up in Barrie, Ontario dreaming of playing in the NHL, scoring a goal would mean everything to him.
"It would be huge," Wilson said. "Still looking for my first one here in this league. I'm going to do anything I can to get it."
• Some players were well aware of Jim Rutherford's comments regarding his team and took it as an ultimatum to improve their play. Others say they hadn't heard or read them yet. Sidney Crosby was among the latter, but the captain said he doesn't need to.
"I'm sure he's upset, like all of us," he said. "We don't like being in this position, but as players our job is to go out there and play. Last game we played a pretty good game. It doesn't make up for the previous ones, but we have to move by games sometimes. But if we play like last game, we're in the right direction and we'll be rewarded. I'm not sure what he said, but I'm sure it's similar to the feelings that we have and the frustrations that we have with losing five in a row."
• One of the players who could be on the move is Sprong. Rutherford hinted strongly that he expects to make some changes before or during the NHL's general manager's meetings to be held Monday and Tuesday in Toronto. Sprong said he had a few friends text him that they'd seen his name come up in trade rumors. If it happens, well, it happens.
"It's part of the business," Sprong said.
• Count Evgeni Malkin among those that are happy he wasn't suspended for his hit on T.J. Oshie early in the third period Wednesday. Malkin said he was glad that Oshie wasn't seriously injured but said he didn't think he could have done much differently.
"The game is so fast, I have the puck, I see he’s coming and I just like ... I think it’s not dirty," he said. "My elbow is not high and my shoulder’s in good position; I know he’s coming to me and I just maybe a little bit turn my shoulder, but I am not like trying to target his head, I am just like protecting myself. But a little bit of (bad) luck."
He added that he has no intention of changing his game.
• Derick Brassard was on the ice before practice Friday morning. It was the first time he's skated since going down with a lower body injury on Oct. 25. He's missed six games. "It's a big step," Sullivan said.
• The Penguins broke in their yellow alternative helmets during practice. They will wear them for the first of a dozen games this season with their alternate yellow sweaters beginning next Thursday against the Lightning.
• The lines and pairs had Aston-Reese rotating with Sprong while Jamie Oleksiak split reps with Chad Ruhwedel:
Simon--Crosby--Rust
Hagelin--Malkin--Hornqvist
Guentzel--Sheahan--Kessel
Wilson--Cullen--Aston-Reese/Sprong
Johnson--Letang
Dumoulin--Oleksiak/Ruhwedel
Maatta--Riikola
• At least in practice, Sullivan used the same power-play units employed in Tuesday's practice with Crosby and Malkin separated. One unit had Crosby with Jack Johnson, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon. The other had Malkin with Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Olli Maatta and Bryan Rust.
The Crosby unit scored the Penguins' lone goal Wednesday, but then Sullivan went back to the traditional power play.
• In other uniform news, the Penguins announced they will wear camouflage sweaters during warmups prior to the game against the Coyotes to honor veterans. The sweaters will be autographed and auctioned off for charity. It's all part of the team's tribute to veterans, several of whom will be honored during the game.
• Following Friday's practice, players took part in the annual Salvation Army's Project Bundle-Up program at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Cranberry.