3 takeaways: Drake Caggiula completes comeback, makes Penguins debut in loss to Oilers

Three takeaways from the Penguins’ 6-3 loss to Edmonton on Monday night:

Ex-Oiler makes Penguins debut

Drake Caggiula’s NHL career began with the Edmonton Oilers when he debuted for that franchise as an undrafted free agent in the 2016-17.

And his NHL existence continued, for one night at least, in Edmonton on Monday when he made his debut for the Penguins during a 6-3 road loss to the Oilers.

A day after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, Caggiula logged 7:28 of ice time on 12 shifts and recorded one shot on one attempt while also blocking one shot while largely being deployed in a fourth-line role.

As mundane as his contributions might have been Monday, just participating in an NHL contest is something of a minor miracle for Caggiula who missed most of the previous season as a member of the Buffalo Sabres due to a herniated disc in his neck.

The ailment cost more than just games throughout the 2023-22 season.

“I had stabbing pain in my neck, shoulder, (pectoral muscle), arm,” Caggiula said in September. “Paralysis down my entire left arm. Weakness, muscle atrophy. You name it, I had it all. I couldn’t wake up or hold my kid because my arm was asleep 90% of the day. Couldn’t get a haircut because when you put your head back, my arm would go to sleep. Just everyday living was miserable.”

After a strong training camp, Caggiula was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton just prior to the start of the regular season.

Shots fired

The Oilers — who have employed a handful of offensively gifted luminaries such as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, among others — set a franchise record for shots in a period on Monday with the 26 they registered in the middle frame.

At the same time, they limited the Penguins to four.

Under siege

The 47 shots Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry faced were one short of his career-high. Jarry faced 48 shots from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 3-2 road loss on Oct. 23, 2019.