Teddy Blueger finally made his long-awaited NHL debut on Wednesday, the Penguins' 4-2 win over the Lightning at PPG Paints Arena.
With Derick Brassard having a nagging upper-body injury, according to the team, Matt Cullen slid into his spot on the third line, and Blueger centered the fourth between Riley Sheahan and Garrett Wilson.
"It was very exciting," Blueger said of the moment this morning when he was told he would be making his NHL debut. "I've kind of been waiting for it for a long time. Just an exciting feeling, I was really happy."
Blueger's first shift culminated in a Sheahan goal to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Blueger picked up the loose puck behind the Lightning goal and passed it to Kris Letang to start the play. As Sheahan and Wilson carried the puck up ice, Blueger forced defenseman Ryan McDonagh out of position, allowing Sheahan to swoop in and pick up a rebound chance for the goal:
"I chipped it to 'Willy' there and I was just trying to drive to the net," Blueger said of the play following the game. "Willy picked up his own rebound and wrapped it around and it came out to Riley. So it was a nice play by those guys."
First shift, first plus. He didn't get an assist for his efforts, but it wasn't a bad way to make his debut.
Minutes later, Blueger took his first NHL faceoff against Brayden Point and won, apparently putting everything he had into it:
It was the first of four faceoffs Blueger would attempt that night ... and the only one he would win. It's an incredibly small sample size, so you can't quite make an assessment of his faceoff abilities at this level yet. The AHL doesn't keep faceoff stats, so while I can't provide an actual number, I can tell you that faceoffs have been one of his bigger strengths recently with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Players in the NHL are obviously more skilled at taking draws, but Blueger should catch up as he plays more.
When I spoke to Blueger the night before his debut, he said his goals were "for the most part, just be responsible, finish my checks, be solid and kind of hard to play against for the other team."
Given that he was only on the ice for 6:22 the entire game, he didn't exactly get many opportunities to finish the checks like he planned. Blueger was credited with one official hit in the game, which, really, wasn't anything special. He lightly checked 5-feet-9 Yanni Gourde as Gourde was already getting rid of the puck:
Blueger has never been one to lay bone-crushing hits on opponents, and he's not going to start now. But he's a hard-working player who doesn't quit on plays, so, finishing his checks is something that he'll do.
That's not to say Blueger didn't get a little chippy out there, he definitely did. Cedric Paquette cross-checked Blueger from behind, and was called for it. Blueger retaliated, and picked up a coincidental roughing penalty along with Adam Erne:
Blueger's not a fighter — just two scraps in Wilkes-Barre over the past two seasons — and I wouldn't expect him to add it to his arsenal now. But it was good to see him stand up for himself in an already-chippy game.
The Penguins as a whole were outshot during the game, and the shot attempts numbers were even more lopsided in the Lightning's favor. As a team, the Penguins only finished with a Corsi For percentage of 39.56 in 5-on-5 play. Not good.
Who led the team in Corsi For percentage, though? Blueger and Wilson, each at 57.14 percent —19.05 percent higher than the team average during 5-on-5 when the two were not on the ice. That's good.
Wilson and Blueger have experience together in Wilkes-Barre. They've combined for goals at that level, and have played on the same power play unit together. That familiarity contributed to the line's strong play against the Bolts.
"That helped a lot, obviously," Blueger said after the game. "Knowing (Wilson) pretty well as a player and a person, it helps like in talking on the bench, asking him questions and stuff like that, so that was great."
In total, while he didn't take any shots himself, Blueger was on the ice for three shots for, and just one against, the best ratio of any Penguin in the game.
It's not yet clear where Blueger fits into the lineup when Brassard returns, but it doesn't sound like his time in Pittsburgh will be short-lived. Mike Sullivan spoke on only increasing Blueger's role during his postgame press conference.
"I thought Teddy had a strong game," said Sullivan. "He's a real conscientious player, and I think the more comfortable he gets here, his game will only grow. ... I know Teddy's a good penalty killer, and my intention is to get him involved in the penalty kill, as well, moving forward. ... That's an area that he could help us ..."
That sounds like a coach who wants to keep playing the guy.
Why couldn't this have happened sooner?
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Lightning, PPG Paints Arena, Jan. 30, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS