Penguins Make Big Lineup Change With Newcomer

He may be small in stature, but he just made a huge jump up the ranks of the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup. Newly-claimed forward Matthew Phillips, after just one game, has already been elevated to the Pens' second-line alongside Evgeni Malkin and Drew O’Connor in advance of Tuesday's big game against the New York Islanders. 

Phillips, 5-foot-7 (or 5-foot-8, depending on who you believe) was a scoring dynamo down in the AHL, with 67 goals and 144 points in 131 games over the past two seasons plus an All-Star berth in 2023. But the Washington Capitals decided to try to sneak him through waivers this past weekend, and the Penguins pounced. 

Despite his diminutive size, Phillips isn't afraid to dig his nose into the thick of things on the ice, which hasn't gone unnoticed by head coach Mike Sullivan. 

“I think he's a brave guy the way he plays the game,” Sullivan told Carson Gates of nhl.com. “He's willing to go to the battle areas, even though he's undersized. I think he's real elusive in a tight space. He gets underneath people. He's quick. So, I think he has the ability to help us offensively and generate some offense. I know that's one of the reasons why we acquired him, and we're going to give him an opportunity to do so.”

And that greater opportunity comes after just one game and 11 minutes of ice time skating on the third line in his first Pittsburgh game on Sunday. In addition to lining up with Malkin on the second line at practice on Monday, Phillips was also seen working on a power-play unit alongside Kris Letang, Malkin, Carter, and Smith.

The Penguins have lost three of their last four games, and need to turn things around quick if they want to stay in the playoff hunt, and avoid a sell-off at the trade deadline in 2 1/2 weeks. And with the loss of Jake Guentzel for about a month, they're hoping for any kind of spark to get them going. 

Phillips is hoping to be the man to do it. 

"It's great to get the opportunity."

Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports