Penguins' 2nd line boosting offense

Much of the success the Pittsburgh Penguins had during the mostly satisfactory three-game road trip they concluded in Montreal on Saturday — in which they collected five of a possible six points — was buoyed by potent production from their second line.

Currently, that unit is composed of Rickard Rakell on the right wing, Evgeni Malkin at center and Jason Zucker on the right wing.

After opening the season with Bryan Rust on the right wing of that line, injuries — in part — led to coach Mike Sullivan moving Rakell to that line.

“We’re trying to find guys that we think have complementary skillsets,” Sullivan said to media in Toronto on Friday. “(Rakell) is a very talented guy, very good off the rush, sees the ice well, is a very good playmaker and can finish. (Malkin), from an offensive standpoint, (Malkin) can play any game that you want to play. He’s a generational talent. (Zucker) is a guy that plays a north-south straight-ahead game that’s good in the battle areas and goes to the net front. It has the ingredients of being a decent line.”

Those ingredients have melded well over the past three games.

During a 4-1 road win against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Zucker opened the scoring 7 minutes, 43 seconds into the second period with a bit of luck.

From the right corner of the offensive zone, Zucker snapped a low-percentage wrister into the gear of goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who inadvertently kicked the puck into his own cage. Zucker was credited with assists from Malkin and Rakell.

Two nights later in a 4-2 road win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, that line got the Penguins on the scoreboard at 19:24 of the first period.

Zucker hounded Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews into a weak clearing attempt from his own zone that was intercepted by Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel at the left point. Ruhwedel accepted that charity and fired a wrister that struck Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie in the right foot. The rebound caromed to the right circle where Malkin cleaned it up by firing a wrister past goaltender Erik Kellgren’s glove on the near side.

Only 1:08 into the second period, Zucker scored a go-ahead goal. Surging into the offensive zone on the left wing, Malkin drew in Brodie on the wall, leaving Zucker unguarded. Malkin spun off Brodie’s check and slipped a clever backhand pass to the slot for Zucker, who used a four-wood to blow a one-timer past Kellgren’s glove.

Rakell, Malkin and Zucker contributed on two of the Penguins’ even-strength goals during a wild 5-4 overtime road loss to the Canadiens on Saturday.

The Penguins took their first lead of the contest 3:29 into the second period thanks to a brilliant individual effort by Rakell.

After determined efforts by Malkin and Rakell for puck possession in the Canadiens’ left corner, Malkin forced a pass from the low in the left circle to Zucker high in the circle. The puck hit off Zucker’s right leg and skidded to the high slot where Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson stroked a one-timer.

Lower in the slot, Rakell, a right-handed shot, reached backward behind his body with his stick to deflect the puck past goaltender Jake Allen’s glove.

The Penguins took another lead 3:19 into the third period thanks to the second line. After Zucker beat Canadiens rookie defenseman Jordan Harris to a loose puck on the end boards of Montreal’s zone, he dealt a pass to the left circle for an on-rushing Malkin, who lifted a backhanded shot over Allen’s right leg on the far side.

In three games, that trio has five goals in five-on-five situations.

“We’re trying to grind as a line,” Zucker said to media in Montreal after Saturday’s game. “We’re trying to have good communication together and just play hard and just help our team win games. We’ve got to keep pushing.”

Note: Defenseman Mark Friedman was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. … The Penguins had a scheduled day off Sunday.