PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins made good use of the waiver wire with a new addition to the forward group. With injuries piling up to Penguins forwards, they claimed Matthew Phillips from the Washington Capitals.
Phillips joined the Penguins for his first practice before their match with the Los Angeles Kings and skated on the third line with Lars Eller as his center. He’s an undersized winger but is excited about the new opportunity in Pittsburgh.
With 30 games of NHL experience, Phillips is still solidifying who he can be in the league. According to him, however, he can bring an element of speed to the lineup.
“Constantly playing with speed and pace,” Phillips said. “As an undersized guy, I need to have my feet moving all the time. Just play with confidence and make plays.”
Beyond the third line, Phillips skated on the Penguins’ second power-play unit. Phillips only has one goal to his name at the NHL level but has shown flashes of scoring ability during his time at the AHL level.
“Power play is something I’ve been lucky enough to be part of my whole career,” Phillips said. “Power play is supposed to score some goals. That’s what I’m going to try and do.”
The Penguins targeted Phillips thanks to his offensive firepower and are hopeful he can finally find some rhythm in the NHL. He has 103 career goals in the AHL in 265 games played.
“He’s a guy that has a pretty impressive body of work,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s pretty illusive with the puck. He’s shown an ability to be very good on the power play.”
Phillips is a 25-year-old forward who stands at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. The Penguins have gotten good use out of their two previous waiver pickups this season and are hopeful Phillips can be a third.
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