Zach Aston-Reese said that he'll probably pick up the tab for Freddy Gaudreau's groceries next time he sees him at Whole Foods.
Aston-Reese would like to show his appreciation for the Penguins' new center in some form after Gaudreau's great shorthanded individual effort that set up Aston-Reese for a goal in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.
He showed a bit of that appreciation on the ice after the goal.
"I watched the replay, I thought it looked like I was going to kiss him almost," Aston-Reese laughed.
The Penguins were shorthanded for the second time in Wednesday's game in the final minute of the second period when Mark Jankowski got called for interference.
The Sabres set up in the Penguins' zone early in their power play opportunity. Rasmus Dahlin was quarterbacking the unit from the point, and he fed the puck to Taylor Hall above the left circle.
Hall attempted to pass the puck back to Dahlin by lifting the puck over the stick of Gaudreau, but Gaudreau intercepted the pass by knocking it out of midair, then dangled the puck past Dahlin, using his speed to get a breakaway.
"Freddy made a really nice play at the blue line," Aston-Reese said. "I think he toe-dragged Dahlin, then just a great effort."
Gaudreau drew goaltender Dustin Tokarki to the left side of the crease, then passed the puck between Dahlin and Hall to Aston-Reese, who knocked it straight into the wide-open cage.
"Honestly, I had no idea he was going to give me the puck," Aston-Reese said. "I was in awe of the play he made, it was a really nice play."
I asked Mike Sullivan about Gaudreau's play on the goal, and he offered praise for Gaudreau's play as a whole in his four games since being recalled to Pittsburgh.
"Terrific," he said. "It was a terrific play. I thought he had a real strong game. He's winning faceoffs for us, he's doing a great job on the kill. He did a real nice job for us on that turnover in our end, the rest of it was just a terrific play, it was just second effort, staying with it, and just great awareness to draw both players to him and lay it out for Zach to skate into it. It was just a great play all-around."
This was Gaudreau's third game in which he got time on the penalty-killing unit, and the Penguins have been perfect on the penalty kill in those three games. They went three-for-three when shorthanded on Wednesday against a depleted Sabres power play, but one that has been among the league's best throughout the season. He's won 48.28 percent of all faceoffs, with a similar success rate in specifically defensive zone draws, a useful skill for a center on a line that starts most of its shifts in the defensive zone.
The shorthanded assist on Aston-Reese's goal was Gaudreau's first point as a Penguin, but he's been stepping up and contributing in other ways with two of the Penguins' top three centers and their top two penalty-killing forwards injured.
With Gaudreau's infectious attitude in the locker room and work ethic, his teammates and coach couldn't sound happier to see him rewarded for his work.
"That was awesome," John Marino said of Gaudreau's assist. "That was really cool to see. Just a great effort by him, and hopefully Reeser buys him dinner or something after that play, that was awesome. It couldn't have happened to a better guy. He works his butt off, so definitely well-rewarded on that."
"We're thrilled for him," Sullivan said. "He's such a hard-working player. He's got a great attitude, he's such a positive guy. He doesn't take anything for granted. He's earned his way back into the NHL. He's earned the minutes that he's getting in our lineup. And those types of guys, you just root for. His energy is contagious, his enthusiasm is contagious."
I said it last game, and I'll say it here, too. Gaudreau has shown that he's capable of playing this role and contributing at this level. When the Penguins get healthy at center, he should absolutely stick around and challenge for a spot. Specifically, the spot of the center who watched Gaudreau's great individual effort unfold from the penalty box.