Sam Lafferty is still 'real valuable player' for Penguins

Sam Lafferty already secured a place in Pittsburgh Penguins history last season when he became on of the relatively few natives of Western Pennsylvania to play for the franchise.

On Monday, the Hollidaysburg native claimed another piece of history, albeit not one worthy of celebration.

The 25-year-old versatile forward also became the Penguins’ first player to be demoted from the NHL roster to the newly formed taxi squad, a designation the NHL has created for this season because of the pandemic.

His demotion was made partly because forward Kasperi Kapanen joined the lineup and partly because of Lafferty’s a poor performance in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals.

A turnover by Lafferty near his own cage resulted in the Capitals’ opening goal at 12 minutes, 4 seconds of the first period. After that, Lafferty only had five shifts for the remainder of the contest and recorded a game-low 3:04 of ice time.

On Tuesday, coach Mike Sullivan lauded Lafferty but pointed out what he needs to fix to be a more regular part of the lineup.

“He’s a good player,” Sullivan said via video conference. “He can really skate, he brings good size, he brings a physical dimension to his game. I had a conversation with Sam (on Monday) about this. When I look at his game, I think for Sam to be a consistent NHL player in the lineup every night, I think he just has to bring more consistency to his game. When Sam’s at his best, he brings an element of reckless abandon to his approach. He can really skate, he puts pressure on defensemen, he has good size and strength. He can bring a physical dimension to our team. And when he’s reliably defensively and he’s trustworthy, he’s a real valuable player for us.”

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Through their first three games, the Penguins were perfect in one respect. They managed to take a too many men on the ice penalty in all three contests.

During Sunday’s game, Sullivan suggested the infraction they took at 9:57 of the third period was more because of poor luck than any negligence.

Regardless, Sullivan would clearly like to see that trend come to a halt.

“It’s a lack of diligence on our part,” Sullivan said. “The one we took in the Washington game, the last game, was a tough one. There was a turnover right by the benches. Our guy was actually off the ice, the puck hits him. That, for me, is a tough one. Sometimes, that happens. But the other one is just a lack of diligence on our part. We have to be better.”

Quiet disdain

For Capitals forward Tom Wilson, a long-time nemesis of the Penguins, Sunday’s game presented a somewhat alien experience: He wasn’t booed every time he touched the puck.

With PPG Paints Arena empty, Wilson wasn’t the target of jeers and vitriol typically directed at him by locals who have developed a hearty disdain for him after years of hitting and injuring members of the Penguins.

Wilson missed the reception he usually receives in Pittsburgh.

“It’s very quiet in there,” Wilson said. “No signs in warmup, stuff like that. That’s all part of the game that we all love, the rivalry and the passion. Obviously, sometimes there’s lines that are crossed and stuff like that. But it’s all in good fun. That’s part of the game that we’re all missing right now. It’s not the same without the fans on the road.”