Penguins are enjoying the NHL's increase in offense

Things were different when Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin played his first career postseason game.

Especially in front of him.

When Dumoulin made his playoff debut — Game 1 of a first-round series with the New York Rangers on April 16, 2015 — the Penguins’ fourth line was composed of veteran forwards Blake Comeau, Maxim Lapierre and Nick Spaling.

During the regular season, that trio had combined for 27 goals.

Comeau finished the 2014-15 regular season with a respectable 16 goals, though a wrist injury suffered in December really slowed him down upon returning to the lineup in February.

Lapierre, acquired from the St. Louis Blues before the trade deadline, had all of two goals — none for the Penguins — over the entire season.

And Spaling, who appeared in all 82 games for the Penguins during the regular season, had a mere nine goals.

As he gears up for another playoff run today, Dumoulin sees different types of players who could make up the Penguins’ fourth line.

During Tuesday’s 5-1 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Penguins opened that contest with Danton Heinen (18 goals), Teddy Blueger (nine goals) and Evan Rodrigues (18 goals) on the fourth line.

Combining for 45 goals, all three players have exceeded or tied career highs in goals during the 2021-22 season.

“That’s been a difference from when I’ve come in the league and when I first started playing to now,” Dumoulin said. “When I first came in, it was almost like that fourth line was a checking (line). Don’t get scored on, play hard and weren’t really expected to score goals. Now, it seems like you need production out of all four lines. That’s been one of the biggest changes that I’ve seen so far, especially this year.”

The Penguins’ fourth line is representative of an overall surge in offense throughout the NHL in 2021-22.

With a handful of days remaining in the regular season, NHL teams are averaging 3.14 goals per game (through Tuesday). That’s a considerable increase over the 2.94 they averaged throughout the pandemic-shortened 2021-22 season.

The NHL hasn’t seen scoring like this since the 1995-96 season — the early stages of the so-called “dead-puck” era — which also saw teams average 3.14 goals per game.

Through Tuesday, eight players have broken the hallowed 100-point barrier and a handful of others might be able to join them before the regular season concludes.

The last time that many players reached the century mark was also the 1995-96 season when 12 did it, including three Penguins forwards, Mario Lemieux (161), Jaromir Jagr (149) and Ron Francis (119), who often played on the same line.

“I’m not sure why it’s happening,” said Penguins forward Bryan Rust, who has established a career-high with 58 points in 59 games this season. “Obviously, there’s some really highly skilled and really good players in this league. But that’s the case every year. It’s just one of those years where offense has really taken off.”

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan suggests the surge in scoring this season has been years in the making, particularly with how the game is regulated near the cage.

“I do think the evolution of the game is part of it, for sure,” Sullivan said. “When you look at the nature of how goals are being scored, there’s a lot more goals being scored, I think, through net traffic and rebounds. It’s harder to defend that area of the rink just based on the evolution of the game. Teams have got better with respect to strategies and getting pucks to the net, utilizing different avenues to get to the puck to the net in the event that there is shot-blockers in the lanes. Teams have got better with their tactics and trying to score goals in that fashion.”

Finding goals at the net seems like an obvious idea over the century-plus history of the NHL. But getting to the net has changed considerably in recent years.

Namely, defensemen are expected to be much more involved in the attack.

“There’s more emphasis on four- or five-man attacks,” Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said recently. “More offensive defensemen throughout the lineup. Years ago, you probably identify a team and you probably have one guy. Now, it’s two or three that can get up there and score.”

The Penguins, long regarded as one of the leading offensive forces in the NHL, are actually in the middle of the pack this season with 264 goals through 81 games. That was the 11th-best figure in the NHL through Wednesday.

And their franchise record of 367 goals set by the 1992-93 team appears to be safe as the 2021-22 squad enters their regular season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.

While no one on the Penguins’ roster is a threat to break the 100-point mark this season — captain Sidney Crosby leads the team with 84 points in 68 games — they acknowledge the NHL’s overall offensive outburst this season.

And they’re enjoying it.

“There’s so many high-end players in the league,” said Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, who matched his career high in goals of 40. “Guys just shoot the puck so well. Guys are so skilled that they’re just making a lot of plays out there.

“It’s fun to see and it’s fun to be a part of it.”