Tomasino Trade Paying Dividends For Penguins
Since Pittsburgh acquired Tomasino a few weeks ago, they have gone 5-2 and scored five or more goals four times
On Nov. 25, Pittsburgh Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino, who had just one point in 11 games with Nashville on the season.
And since that day, he has been thriving in the Steel City.
In six games with the Penguins this season, Tomasino has registered three goals and four points - already much different than the production he was putting up prior to joining Pittsburgh. The team has also gone 5-2 since his arrival - scoring five or more goals in four of those contests - which is a much different outlook than they had preceding it.
"From the moment I got here, I feel like our team's been playing really well," Tomasino said. "I don't know how many times I've said it now, but getting the chance to play with some pretty skilled guys and high-end guys, it's been awesome. The opportunity's been great, so we've just got to keep building here."
He's been thriving in a top-six role with the Penguins, as he has been flanking Evgeni Malkin from the right side. The duo has seemed to find some chemistry, and that seems to be the case regardless of who the third member of their line has been. They've seen some time with Drew O'Connor, Michael Bunting, and - most recently - Cody Glass, who remained on that line during Wednesday's practice.
Tomasino also had the primary assist on Malkin's goal against Florida, which came after a stretch of 10 games without a goal.
His role with Malkin has not only helped Geno himself, but it has also given the Penguins more scoring depth lower in their lineup, as teammates Bunting, Anthony Beauvillier, and Blake Lizotte have all been regular contributors for the Penguins and are currently in the bottom-six. They have combined for 20 goals and 32 points this season.
As for Tomasino, he's just going to keep doing what he's been doing to be successful in the Penguins' lineup alongside Malkin.
"I think we just complement each other really well," Tomasino said of Malkin. "I'm just trying to get him the puck and get open. Right now, that's kind of the mindset, and I think it's been working out pretty well so far. So, I'll just continue to try and do that."
