Forward Brock McGinn's return offers depth to Penguins' lineup when needed most

The Pittsburgh Penguins were missing Evgeni Malkin on Tuesday in their 5-4 shootout loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

Malkin was serving the first contest of a four-game suspension he received as a result of performing some impromptu (and involuntary) dental work on Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki on Sunday in the form of a cross-check to the mouth.

Playing without Malkin’s talents, which the Penguins have done often over the past two seasons because of various medical concerns, is a considerable obstacle in the route the Penguins want to take as they approach the postseason.

But it’s not unnavigable.

“I believe that we have a deep enough lineup that we can certainly put together line combinations together that can help us have success,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said to media after Tuesday’s morning skate in Elmont. “It’s going to provide opportunities for other guys to step up and play more significant roles. … We believe we have a deep enough lineup to have success. We’ve done it all year long. This is just one other challenge in front of us that we’ve got to find a way to overcome.”

That challenge was a bit easier to take on during Tuesday’s game thanks to the return of Brock McGinn.

The hardscrabble forechecker and penalty-killer returned to the lineup after missing the previous 15 games because of a suspected right hand or arm injury. On Tuesday, he logged 16 minutes, 1 second of ice time on 22 shifts. He had no shots and blocked one shot. His presence was needed more when forwards Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues left the game with noncovid illness.

“Our trainers and our staff did a good job at keeping me active,” McGinn said. “Just going on the ice there, at the start there, I was kind of using half a stick. But it was good to keep skating and stay in shape.”

Before Tuesday, McGinn last played March 11 in a 5-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights. He was short on specifics, but McGinn indicated he was injured by blocking a shot.

Such is the price of doing business for McGinn given his style of play.

“Those are the things you’ve got to do, and maybe sometimes, that’s a consequence,” said McGinn, who formally was activated from injured reserve Tuesday afternoon. “But happy that everything has gone smoothly. The trainers did a good job just with my rehab and making sure everything went well.”

McGinn returned to the lineup on the third line skating with his regular center, Teddy Blueger.

“We have good chemistry,” McGinn said. “We both kind of play similar styles. The more that we play together, the more we learn off each other and kind of build. It’s a lot of fun playing with Teddy. Hopefully, he enjoys it, as well.”

Presumably, the Penguins have enjoyed what they’ve gotten out of McGinn this season after they signed the 28-year-old to a four-year contract worth $2.75 million per season. Before Tuesday, McGinn had played in 57 games and scored 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) while averaging 15 minutes, 3 seconds of ice time, including 1:57 in short-handed situations.

Had he not been sidelined for just over a month with his injury, McGinn had a legitimate opportunity to surpass the career highs he established in goals (16), assists (14) and points (30) as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017-18.

Personal accolades aside, McGinn seemed happy just to be back in the lineup before the postseason begins.

“I think we’ve just got to really focus on this last little stretch here in the regular season to make sure that we’re prepared for the playoffs and playing the right way,” McGinn said.