The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Sam Lafferty from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

This is Lafferty’s third recall of the season. The Hollidaysburg native has appeared in 36 NHL games this season and has 10 points (four goals, six assists).

In six AHL games this season, Lafferty, 24, has three goals.

After getting five points in his first five NHL games, Lafferty’s offensive production has dried up as the season has worn on. He failed to record a point in his past 15 contests.

Previously assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Jan. 21, Lafferty scored two goals in the three AHL games he played in before Saturday’s recall.

On Thursday, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan explained why the team opted to keep Lafferty with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton following the All-Star break.

“Sam just has to play a little bit more,” Sullivan said. “He’s played limited minutes up here for quite some time now and he’s been in and out of the lineup. We think it’s important that young players play minutes. That’s part of the evolution of a player, that’s part of the development of a player. We’re always trying to balance that with trying to win with the group that we have here. But we also have the responsibility to help the young players to grow. We have that discussion a lot. At this point, we felt its best for Sam if he just goes down and plays a lot of minutes and we just give him an opportunity to play in a little bit different environment where the pressure is not quite as high.”

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