Jared McCann ended last season without a goal in 25 games and without a spot in the lineup for one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff games.
From a healthy scratch who seemingly lost his scoring touch to … one of the Penguins’ more consistent scorers and relied-upon players?
In March, at least, McCann proved to be just that. One of the hottest players on one of the NHL’s hottest teams, McCann had five goals and five assists in 10 games during a month in which the Penguins went 12-3-1.
And like the team he plays for, McCann isn’t succeeding just because of offense, and not in an overly flashy way, either.
“We’re playing a complete game,” McCann said via video conference after he had the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders on Monday. “We’re doing the simple things to win games.
“The worst thing you can do is make things difficult. Sometimes you’ve got to make some things simple, and it will go your way, and sometimes if it doesn’t, you just got to stick with it, work hard and eventually things will start to go your way.”
Because of injuries to five of their top nine forwards (although Jason Zucker returned Monday), the Penguins desperately needed McCann to step up. He has — in his role (centering the second line), statistically (three goals, three assists during his current four-game point streak) and in his all-around game.
In the six games he has played since a 10-day absence because of an upper-body injury, McCann has not been on the ice for a goal scored by an opponent.
In more than 243 minutes of five-on-five ice time for McCann this season, opponents have scored only five goals.
“Jared is playing a solid game right now,” coach Mike Sullivan said earlier this month.
Ten points (5G-5A) over ten games during the month of March.
Jared McCann is on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ii2kwOH5I2
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 30, 2021
Sullivan wasn’t saying that in August from the NHL postseason bubble in Toronto, not after he sat McCann for Game 3 of the qualifying-round series against the Montreal Canadiens. At that point, McCann hadn’t scored in 22 regular-season games or in the first two games of that series.
He was back in the lineup for the Penguins’ season-ending Game 4 loss, but McCann still didn’t score that day or in any of the first four games of this season in January. McCann isn’t counted on for high-level goal production, but he is a former first-round pick with above-average hands and shot.
Finally, McCann scored on the power play Jan. 22 against the New York Rangers. That seemed to open the floodgates, as he scored again in the next game and has eight goals in 19 games since.
“When he scores,” Sullivan said, “his confidence elevates, and it helps him moving forward.”
It has seemed to elevate McCann’s all-around game. His plus-13 rating is best among Penguins forwards. According to naturalstatrick.com, the Penguins have a better shots-on-goal ratio (53.8%) than their opponents with McCann on the ice at five-on-five than with any other forward who has played more than two games.
They have a better shots-attempted ratio (59.8%) with McCann on the ice at five-on-five than any forward who has played more than eight games this season.
Versatile enough to play wing or center and to contribute on the power play if needed, McCann was acquired in a 2019 trade by former general manager Jim Rutherford. The Penguins dealt Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan and three draft picks to the Florida Panthers for Nick Bjugstad and McCann.
“You want to make plays. You want to do all the right things,” McCann said. “But at the end of the day, if you play the 200-foot game you want to play, you’re going to help get two points for the team.”
Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
"looking" - Google News
March 31, 2021 at 03:32AM
https://ift.tt/2PoVBKF
A healthy scratch for a playoff game, Jared McCann looking invaluable now for Penguins - TribLIVE
"looking" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2tdCiJt
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "A healthy scratch for a playoff game, Jared McCann looking invaluable now for Penguins - TribLIVE"
Post a Comment