Penguins forward Jansen Harkins hits his stride on the 4th line

Jansen Harkins is still searching for his first goal of the season.

But he found an effective way to reverse some — not all — of the criticism levied his way by Pittsburgh Penguins fans.

He hit a Philadelphia Flyers player.

Hard.

During the Penguins’ wild 7-6 home win against the Flyers, Harkins made an impact by making a thunderous impact on Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale.

Midway through the second period, Drysdale gloved down a puck in the neutral zone and tried to skate it into the offensive zone. But before he could cross the blue line, he came to an immediate halt as a result of Harkins slamming his right shoulder into Drysdale’s left shoulder.

Both players crashed to the ice into a heap with Drysdale — who had his left labrum surgically repaired in 2022 — immediately vacating the ice in obvious distress.

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“He was just jumping up, and I was coming in a little late,” Harkins said after the game. “Saw him with his head down. Just bodied him. You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but when you get a chance to make a hit like that, I’ve got to make sure I finish it.”

The Flyers responded to the hit by attacking Harkins, and that fracas led to Philadelphia forward Nicolas Deslauriers taking a roughing minor.

On the ensuing power play, forward Emil Bemstrom, making his Penguins debut, scored.

Harkins took pride in his hit having a tangible benefit for his team.

“Kind of getting in the mix a little bit and drawing penalties is something that I bring to the team,” Harkins said. “In that situation, obviously, it’s a big goal.”

Harkins’ hit was sizeable to his teammates.

“I think it was a huge boost for us,” forward Sidney Crosby said. “I mean, that’s a big hit, clean and that’s the kind of game it was. It was physical, and that’s what you expect in these ones. So, for him to get that hit, to give us a boost. And then get one on the power play there, I think that’s important, and that’s what you need to do when you get opportunities like that.”

Aside from a two-game absence earlier this month because of a concussion, Harkins has been a steady presence in the Penguins lineup on the fourth line since late November.

With Matt Nieto having missed the past 33 games with a right knee injury, Harkins largely has replaced him as the left winger on the fourth line, routinely deployed with Noel Acciari at center and Jeff Carter on the right wing.

Their play has sated coach Mike Sullivan.

“We’ve really liked the role that our fourth line has played,” Sullivan said. “They get a lot of (defensive) zone starts. They’re a conscientious line. They’re hard to play against. They help us create momentum. … We’ve liked the identity of that line as a group of three and what they bring to our team.”

Per Natural Stat Trick, that trio has appeared in 26 games together this season and is slightly in the black in terms of puck possession, being on the ice for 118 shot attempts for and 114 against during five-on-five situations.

Harkins credits his linemates for the cohesion the trio has displayed.

“Those guys — every time I get asked, I say the same thing — they’re always in the right spot, (Acciari and Carter), both of them,” Harkins said. “It makes my job a lot easier. Knowing where they’re going to be and just using my speed and moving my feet and bringing some energy and quickness to the line, we all kind of bring something a little bit different which I think is important to get some chemistry.”

The alchemy on the public sentiment for Harkins was altered, albeit slightly, on Sunday thanks to his devastating check on Drysdale.

“Just trying to go out there and play hard and finish my checks when the opportunity comes.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.