Jack St. Ivany, Ryan Shea earning coaches' trust as Penguins' 3rd defensive pairing

The play of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third defensive pairing probably wouldn’t immediately come to mind for many when reflecting on how and why the club has managed to come back from the dead and seize control of a wild-card spot with only a few days left in the regular season.

The dazzling ongoing performance of captain Sidney Crosby (eight goals, 12 assists over his last 10 games) and steady net presence of Alex Nedeljkovic, who’s started every game of the Penguins’ 7-0-3 end-of-year hot streak, are more obvious answers.

The same could be said of the rejuvenated efforts of Evgeni Malkin (three multi-goal efforts since March 24) as well as newly acquired forward Michael Bunting, who has five goals and nine assists in 18 games in a Penguins sweater.

But inside the club’s locker room, the impact of blueliners Jack St. Ivany, a rookie, and Ryan Shea, in his first NHL campaign, hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“They defend well,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They have a certain confidence that’s grown here in their time and when we’ve put them on the ice, they’re getting the job done. As young players play their way onto the roster, they build a trust bank account with the coaching staff. And they’re building that. And you build that just through performance and getting the job done in certain situations. We have a comfort level with both Jack and Ryan in some key situations.”

Sullivan has deployed the 24-year-old St. Ivany and 27-year-old Shea together on the blue line for six games heading into another key matchup at PPG Paints Arena, this time vs. the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins Saturday.

Neither St. Ivany nor Shea would boast of possessing a skill set comparable to Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson, particularly on the offensive side of the puck.

Through 70 minutes, 18 seconds of shared ice time, the Penguins have generated 23 shots for vs. 32 against, per Natural Stat Trick.

But they’ve helped to produce 12 high-danger chances when on the ice compared to 11 against.

The Penguins aren’t asking either of them for nightly offensive contributions.

To be sure, all and any such impact they provide is welcomed, but Sullivan primarily needs them to be responsible defensively and hard to play against.

In those regards, St. Ivany and Shea have obliged, and in doing so, produced a ripple effect in how the Penguins deploy the rest of their lineup.

“When you have the luxury of that on a third pair, it gives us the opportunity to try and get favorable combinations together on our side rather than being so concerned about our opponent,” Sullivan said.

“For example, we have the ability to get either (Letang) or (Karlsson) behind’s (Crosby’s) line or behind (Malkin’s) line. That gives them an opportunity to drive offense. So when those guys are getting the job done the way they are, it gives us the opportunity to alter game plans or matchups depending on how the game has gone. They’ve done a good job for us.”

St. Ivany and Shea took different routes to the Penguins and NHL.

Shea, chosen in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by Chicago in 2015, joined the Dallas Stars in 2020 and labored for three seasons with their American Hockey League affiliate before the Penguins brought him aboard on a one-year deal last summer.

As for St. Ivany, former Penguins general manager Ron Hextall selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft while leading Philadelphia’s front office.

Two seasons ago, he was a free-agent signing by the Penguins, eventually working his way to Pittsburgh in late March, making his NHL debut on the 22nd.

Shea also made his NHL debut this year with the Penguins on Oct. 21 and was utilized by the club in 22 games through Dec. 8, at which point he was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Shea, who was 26 heading into the preseason, does not qualify as a rookie per NHL hockey operations rules because of his advanced age.

While in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Shea forged a relationship with St. Ivany, with coach J.D. Forrest using the two as a pair for several games.

Now, that familiarity is carrying over to the NHL.

“I think we’ve just kept it simple and taken what’s given to us,” St. Ivany said. “We’ve got some good forwards, so I feel like for us, it’s just getting the puck up to them and defending our own net. I feel like we’ve got some chemistry.”

Added Shea: “I think (St. Ivany) brings an element that I don’t necessarily bring. He’s a big, physical D-man, he’s very, very good defensively, and I think we just complement each other. We both move pucks well, and we’re similar players in some aspects.”

So far, St. Ivany and Shea haven’t given Sullivan any reason to separate them.

The season-ending concussion of Ryan Graves on March 28 coupled with an illness that’s sidelined John Ludvig this month also have made their ongoing pairing necessary.

As their sample size of playing together grows, Sullivan remains pleased.

“We think they’ve competed really hard,” he said. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence for two young guys. … Not unlike line combinations that build chemistry, defense pairs do, as well. We’ve liked the chemistry that those two have developed over the course of their time here.”