For more than a month, the puck simply refused to go in the net for Ben Kindel.
Over a 19-game span from Dec. 16 to Jan. 22, the 18-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward navigated a goalless streak.
Ultimately, it seems far from fair to nitpick the goal-scoring output of a teenager making the jump to the NHL from junior hockey, and, to Kindel’s credit, he did contribute six assists during the aforementioned stretch.
Whatever the reason for Kindel’s goals having dried up, that futility became more of a thing of the past when he scored in Thursday’s 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, netting his third goal in his last two games.
“I think it’s more of some chances converting,” coach Dan Muse said. “It’s not a matter of not getting them. Sometimes’s that’s just the difference. If you’ve been a little while and you haven’t scored, you start to grip it a little bit tighter, maybe.
“I think (scoring two goals at Vancouver on Sunday), that probably relaxed him a little bit. I think the chances have been there. There hasn’t been a point where I’ve or we’ve been concerned about it because he’s been getting to the areas and getting those (looks).”
With the second-period score Thursday, Kindel has goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his young NHL career.
Kindy! ????
— NHL (@NHL) January 30, 2026
Ben Kindel's up to 11 goals in his rookie season! pic.twitter.com/cRn39DDRxE
Also, after notching the primary assist on Anthony Mantha’s goal later in the second period, which made it 4-1 Penguins, Kindel earned his fourth point in the last two contests, something he had managed twice before this season.
With a bit over 14 minutes to play in the second period, Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov attempted to clear a puck out of his own zone.
Whiffing on it, Mantha instead was able to collect along the boards and feed it to Kindel, who moved down ice into the left faceoff circle, where he fired a wrister that beat netminder Arvid Soderblom.
“We’re dogs on the forecheck, so once you can hunt down their (defensemen) and get on them, we did a really good job on that shift,” winger Rutger McGroarty said. “(Mantha) made an incredible play over to Kindel and then Kindel with the bomb five-hole. It was a good shift.”
Roughly 10 minutes later, with just over four minutes to go before the second intermission, Mantha led a breakout from the defensive zone following the Blackhawks losing possession of the puck.
Beginning behind the Penguins’ cage, Mantha fed the puck to McGroarty, who sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan Shea.
Shea then found Kindel — who had a distinct few moments to process the sequence as it developed — in the neutral zone at the edge of the Penguins’ bench.
Meanwhile, Mantha raced between Chicago defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and forward Teuvo Teravainen, with Kindel occupying attention of Kaiser’s partner, Levshunov.
By the time Kindel sent a well-aimed pass to Mantha, the latter had enough space between himself and the three out-of-position Blackhawks for a clean finish at the crease.
Backhanding the puck through the five-hole of Soderblom, Mantha found the back of the net for his 17th goal of the year, with Kindel notching assist No. 13.
“Good play by Rutger to find Shea, Shea got it to me and (Mantha) was coming up with a lot of speed,” Kindel said. “I just got it to him, and he did the rest with a great finish.”
30 seconds later, Anthony Mantha scores, making it 4-1 Penguins ???? pic.twitter.com/0mT3ExGZkq
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 30, 2026
With 11 goals and 13 assists on the year through 49 games, Kindel moved into seventh place among NHL rookies with his two-point evening Thursday.
Regardless if his offensive contributions continue or if he endures another dry spell, Kindel doesn’t plan on deviating from the kind of game he plays.
“I think just not changing the way you play,” Kindel said. “There’s so much more to the game than scoring. Even when you are scoring, you still need to keep up with those things, all the little details in the game.”
