Fast start helps Danton Heinen make history with Penguins

Still in the embryonic stages of his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, forward Danton Heinen already has carved out a small place in history with the franchise by scoring in each of his first three games as a member of the team.

The only Penguins player to do better in that regard is Evgeni Malkin. As a rookie in 2006-07, Malkin set an NHL record by scoring goals in his first six games with the team.

Forwards Kevin Miller (1996-97), Joey Mullen (1990-91), Terry Ruskowski (1985-86) and Ron Snell (1969-70) all scored three goals in their first three games with the Penguins, as well.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of Heinen’s scoring has been his method. His goals haven’t been clunky rebounds off an opponent’s left skate or an accidental tip off his right knee. Heinen has been sniping them.

During Saturday’s 5-1 home win against the Chicago Blackhawks, Heinen scored the team’s fourth goal. After forward Jeff Carter gained the offensive zone and passed to linemate Jake Guentzel on the left wing, Guentzel waited for Heinen to find some open space in the slot, then slid a pass to him. Taking a moment to settle the puck, Heinen lifted a wrister past a screen by Carter and over the right shoulder of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Heinen has a history of producing. But with a career-high of 16 goals, he is not exactly seen as a threat to any of the team’s scoring records.

Regardless, his contribution has been greatly valued for a team that is missing the talents of Malkin and forward Sidney Crosby, each of whom is sidelined as they recover from offseason surgeries.

“It’s indicative of his scoring ability,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s got a real good shot. He’s got a dangerous shot. He can beat goalies with velocity. It’s accurate. He picks his spots, and he’s hitting. That’s encouraging from our standpoint. I also think Danton is a guy that can score different ways. In this early part of the season, he’s certainly shown he can score when he gets some time and space. He can beat goalies single-handedly, but he can score other ways as well.

“That bodes well for us moving forward. We always talk to our players about being a team that can generate offense different ways, depending on the type of game or what the game is going to present. Sometimes, we’re going to have the ability to score off the rush. If we play teams that aren’t going to give us much off the rush, we’ve got to establish a grind game, we’ve got to utilize the power play. There’s a number of different ways that we can create offense. And I think Danton is one of those guys. But certainly, what stands out in this early part of the season is just his shooting ability.”

Much of Heinen’s damage has come while skating on a makeshift first line with Carter. Before Tuesday, Heinen’s most common linemate in five-on-five scenarios has been Carter, with 32 minutes, 10 seconds of common ice time.

It might be a bit early to forecast if Heinen and Carter will remain a duo after Crosby and Malkin return to the lineup. But Sullivan has liked the chemistry they’ve displayed in a limited case study.

“It bodes well for the potential for some of the potential possibilities when we get a full complement of players,” Sullivan said. “It just gives us more versatility. If Danton establishes a certain chemistry with (Carter), then we may choose to keep them together down the road. It gives us more versatility and more options when we do get a full complement of players.”

Matheson returns

Defenseman Mike Matheson made his season debut in Tuesday’s home game against the Dallas Stars. The left-hander opened the contest on the third pairing with right-handed Chad Ruhwedel.

Matheson had been sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury during training camp.

Defenseman Mark Friedman, who had played in the team’s first three games of the season, did not participate in Tuesday’s warmups, a day after he left a practice early due to an undisclosed ailment. He was scratched as was forward Sam Lafferty.