DETROIT -- These last few days have been a grind for Alex Nylander, to say the least.
The Penguins sent him back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday, ending his standard recall after he had been a healthy scratch for the previous eight games. He played in Wilkes-Barre's game against the Charlotte Checkers that Wednesday, a 5-0 loss that officially eliminated Wilkes-Barre from Calder Cup playoff contention. He was recalled to Pittsburgh on Thursday on an emergency basis prior to that night's game against the Wild, but wasn't ultimately needed in the lineup and was sent back to Wilkes-Barre.
Nylander was recalled on an emergency basis again the following day, Friday, as the Penguins were traveling to Detroit for Saturday's game against the Red Wings.
Nylander's patience paid off, and he was back in the lineup Saturday at Little Caesars Arena, replacing the injured Drew O'Connor. He showed more great patience for his first-period tally in the Penguins' 5-1 win over the Red Wings, his first NHL goal in over three years.
"I had to drive down, play a game and then back," Nylander told me with a smile, after the game, of his past few days. "I've been doing that drive a couple of times now, I'm just really happy to be back here. It's really fun to be a part of this team and be here to win these next two games."
Nylander looked pretty good in the six games he played at the NHL level before Saturday. He had a secondary assist in his Penguins debut last month against the Blue Jackets, and earned some time in the top six alongside Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker.
Mike Sullivan said before Saturday's game that there were "a number of things" he wanted to see improve from Nylander in order to get back into the lineup.
"Alex and I had a conversation about it," Sullivan said about Nylander's performance in those six games. "We talked about his game and how he can help us win and his ability to be effective. He played a fair amount in our top six there on Geno's line in particular. We thought when he first came up, he played really well. He was strong on pucks. He was solid defensively. He was moving his feet. I think just in the time that we've had Alex, that's one of the most important aspects of his game, when he moves his feet that's when he's at his best. When he tends to get in a wide stance, that's when the game tends to go around him. That's one aspect of his game that we spoke to him about."
Nylander got into the lineup on the Penguins' third line Saturday' alongside Mikael Granlund and Ryan Poehling. He didn't need long to make an impact in a positive way -- just nine minutes and 25 seconds.
Nylander did well to recover a loose puck that came from a Jeff Carter rebound, and passed the puck up to Granlund, who returned back to Nylander at the left circle. Nylander skated the puck through the slot, showing patience in waiting until the perfect window opened up under Ville Husso's arm:
"I made that play on the 2-on-1, then I was actually on my way to change," Nylander told me of that goal. "I saw the puck, I managed to put it in. I saw there was a lane, and a great pass by Granny. I tried to make a move and shoot where he was coming from. It was nice that it went in."
It was Nylander's first goal in the NHL since March 12, 2020, with the Blackhawks. He played 65 games in the NHL in the COVID-shortened season, then missed the entire shortened 2020-21 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee in December 2020. He spent most of these last two seasons in the AHL, working to get his game back to the big-league level.
"It feels great, I'm just so happy to be back here," Nylander said. "I know it's been a grind for me, especially after my injury. It wasn't easy to come back, or as easy as I thought. I've just been grinding every day and keep sticking with it."
Nylander has shown that he's able to play and contribute at this level, in more ways other than scoring goals. Sullivan said after Saturday's win that they liked "a lot" of Nylander's performance in this one.
"He was strong on pucks," Sullivan said. "He made some real good decisions. He's a stiff player. He's strong. He can be heavy on pucks. We all know that he has the ability to create offense. He's gifted offensively. When he's moving his feet, when he's defending hard, when he's strong on pucks, wins battles on the boards, things of that nature, he's a really effective player. He has NHL talent. We were really encouraged by his game today. Not just the fact that he scored, his whole overall game. He's very capable."
It's not clear when O'Connor will be back in the Penguins' lineup following an apparent head injury in the previous game Thursday. Nick Bonino is nearing his return from his lacerated kidney. It will be tough to find a spot for Nylander in the lineup down this last stretch of the season, but he's at least succeeded in making the coaches' decisions pretty difficult.
