Jeff Petry joined the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup and drew comparisons to Kris Letang right away.
PITTSBURGH - When the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Jeff Petry over the offseason, they knew they were getting not only a stout defenseman, but a player capable of helping out offensively.
And that’s exactly what Petry has brought in his first 29 games with the Penguins; despite an upper-body injury getting in the way, Petry has scored 13 points (3G-10A).
The second half of a home-and-home with the Ottawa Senators was Petry’s first game in over a month and the team immediately felt his impact.
Petry factored in on the game’s opening goal and it all started with his mentality to get pucks to the net while on the power play.
Without Petry or Kris Letang, the Penguins power play featured Ty Smith as the top defenseman; Smith is a decent option, but some growing pains were visible.
“He helps us in so many ways,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He can play a lot of minutes. He’s a lot like Tanger in that regard.”
During his career with the Penguins, Letang has become known as the guy who logs the most minutes.
This season, when it’s not Letang leading the team in minutes, it’s been Petry; add on an elevated eye for offence and comparing the two is totally fair.
In his first game back to the lineup, Petry led all Penguins skaters in ice time with 25:25.
“He played 25 minutes tonight in all situations,” Sullivan said. “I think his presence was felt right away in all situations.”
While Letang’s return is sure to bring even more steadiness to the Penguins’ blue line, getting Petry back was just as important.
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