Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson making name for himself

Whenever fans are allowed to enter PPG Paints Arena again, there probably will still be plenty of No. 72 Patric Hornqvist jerseys roaming the concourses.

A fiery pneumatic drill of a power forward, Hornqvist is one of the more popular players in franchise history.

Considering his success (a pair of Stanley Cup rings) and his nickname (“Horny), the adulation for him will never wane.

In contrast, you’ll probably struggle to locate a No. 5 Mike Matheson jersey. It might even be tough to find a more frugal option such as a T-shirt jersey.

Heck, you’ll probably see more No. 5 Deryk Engelland or Ulf Samuelsson jerseys than ones with Matheson’s surname stitched on the nameplate.

Point being, Matheson never will win a popularity contest against Hornqvist, the man he was traded for in September.

But he is starting to help the Penguins win games. In fact, he had a pretty direct role in two home victories against the New York Islanders this past week.

And he did it by utilizing his strongest attribute: He skated.

During Thursday’s 4-1 victory, with his team protecting a two-goal lead in the third period, Matheson settled a puck behind his own net and skated up ice. Hustling past Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom, Matheson surged into the neutral zone. When confronted by Islanders forward Kieffer Bellows at the center line, Matheson backhanded a dump-in off the left-wing boards and chased after the puck.

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech got to the puck first in the left corner, but Matheson’s forecheck forced a poor backhand pass by Pelech that was intercepted on the half wall by Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin. A handful of passes later, Penguins forward Jason Zucker scored an insurance goal.

Two nights later, in a 3-2 comeback win, Matheson’s skates helped the Penguins rebound from a third-period deficit. Using his own net as a pick, Matheson fended off forechecking Islanders forward Jordan Eberle and skated the puck to the neutral zone. Approaching the center line, he banked another dump-in, this time off the right-wing boards.

Penguins forward Teddy Blueger claimed the puck, went deep on the right wing and slipped a subtle backhand feed to the interior of the right circle for Matheson, who pumped a wrister past goaltender Semyon Varlamov’s blocker on the far side for his first goal since joining the Penguins.

Matheson’s play over the past week — he has three points (one goal, two assists) over his past four games — comes in stark contrast to what he offered during the team’s first games in mid-January, when he looked largely uncomfortable with his new surroundings.

Surprising? Perhaps externally. But not to those who were familiar with him before he joined the Penguins.

“I kind of knew what he was going to be able to do with our team, especially with the talent we have, guys like (forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) that can make plays,” said Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who has trained with Matheson during past offseasons in Quebec. “Obviously, for offensive defensemen, it’s ideal. Because you jump in the rush, you don’t have to carry the puck that much. You just have to get open, and these (forwards) can create so much offense. And Mike is a guy that has a lot of talent, a lot of skill, but he can see the ice really well. He fits in really well with our team. It’s the type of game that he brings. He’s a tremendous player.

“From the start, I had no doubt in my mind.”

There were plenty of doubts from onlookers after Matheson largely bumbled through his first two games with the Penguins, each road losses to the Philadelphia Flyers. And an undisclosed injury he suffered in the second game that sidelined him for eight games didn’t help matters.

“Like any player that’s new to a team, it takes a little bit to adjust and find your comfort level,” forward Sidney Crosby said. “He got hurt there early but he’s been back and just getting better every game. He’s had a huge impact on creating offense. He’s been able to create some plays, and (Saturday) was another great example of that on a huge goal for us.”

“You can see how his skating, his mobility can be an asset for our team,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has the ability to shake a forecheck and use the net to beat the first forechecker and help us get out of our end zone. He has the ability to join the rush and jump off the offensive blue line. He’s got pretty good offensive instincts.”

With a surplus of left-handed defenseman and new management in place after the arrival of general manager Ron Hextall on Feb. 9, Matheson’s stay in Pittsburgh could be relatively brief, especially considering he has six years remaining on an eight-year contract he signed as a member of the Florida Panthers that carries a salary cap hit of $4.875 million. Finding a way to unload his contract could provide some much-needed roster flexibility.

But for the time being, Matheson is happy to be using his skating ability to help his new team.

“It was tough starting the year off with an injury and being away from the team, especially coming to a new team and hoping to make an impact and earn your teammates’ respect,” Matheson said. “So to be able to just be in the lineup and be in the fight with everybody has been great. I’ve just been trying to build my game, game by game.”

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