For the first time in nearly a month, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith contributed a goal, delivering the winner Monday against Nashville in a 4-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena.
Smith broke a 13-game scoreless streak with the goal, which came on a feed from linemate Lars Eller at 8 minutes, 21 seconds of the second period, with blueliner Kris Letang also collecting an assist.
“Terrific goal. A great play all-around,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
REILLY GETS THIS PLACE ROCKIN' ???? pic.twitter.com/eoCShPYMnq
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 16, 2024
From many vantage points, it would be easy to conclude that his first year in Pittsburgh has been a significant disappointment.
First, there’s the cold, hard numbers. Smith scored 26 goals last season in his final campaign with the Vegas Golden Knights, with whom he spent six seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in 2023.
This season, heading into Monday’s pivotal showdown at home with the Nashville Predators, Smith had contributed 12.
That’s not a preferable total given Smith’s $5 million salary cap hit.
Furthermore, Smith, initially seen as a winger to play in the top six, has wound up spending a lot of his first year in Pittsburgh on the third line.
None of that has not been lost on Smith, who was blunt in December when navigating through a 15-game scoreless streak.
“My whole game has to get better right now,” he said at the time.
Smith managed his 13th goal of the year in the Penguins’ penultimate regular-season contest.
On the year, he has played 75 games, adding 27 assists while averaging 16:11 of ice time.
The club’s season finale is Wednesday at the New York Islanders, but depending on what the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings do Tuesday in their respective games, the Penguins’ playoff hopes might be dashed by the time of their puck drop at UBS Arena.
Regardless, Sullivan is optimistic that Smith’s goal will offer him some relief.
“It’s great to see Reilly put one in the net, and, hopefully, that’ll take a little pressure off,” Sullivan said. “He’s got a great shot, and he’s capable, so, hopefully, that’ll help him here for the next one.”
For all of Smith’s shortcomings this year, his goal Monday was impressive in a number of regards.
Perhaps chiefly was the shot itself, a wrister that he blasted past Predators netminder Juuse Saros.
But the sequence that led to the goal was also something to note.
In the offensive zone, after Letang had a slap shot from the point blocked by Roman Josi, Smith collected the loose puck near the net and retreated up the boards with it, eventually passing to Eller in the right faceoff circle.
As several Nashville players converged on Eller, Smith wheeled around and accelerated into the slot, finding a soft spot in the defense, at which point Eller delivered a perfect pass.
Seconds later, Smith buried the shot top shelf.
“Reilly’s a smart player who can make plays, and he can finish,” Eller said. “He’s a very versatile player, I think, with a high IQ. We just had a good understanding of what each other was doing and what spaces to attack on that goal. We were able to get a little give-and-go going.”
While Smith probably didn’t anticipate playing on the Penguins’ third line, he has achieved a level of comfort with Eller, who has played with more than a dozen different wingers this season.
“He’s been awesome to play with. He’s just such a good player,” Smith said. “He’s predictable, and he’s been making plays like that for a long time.”
Smith hasn’t been a regular goal-scoring threat over the Penguins’ recent hot streak, during which time they revived their postseason hopes from the brink of impossibility, but he has contributed six assists in 11 games dating to March 24.
“Obviously, it’s an important time of year, and whenever you can chip in, it goes a long way,” Smith said. ” … It’s nice to help out the team and get a goal.”
