The Pittsburgh Penguins emphasized a few words leading up to the 2023-24 season, but chief among them was "competition" and "opportunity". Forward Drew O'Connor has taken advantage of both to become one of the biggest surprises for the Penguins through the first half of the season.
Injuries to Penguins top six wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell gave O'Connor a chance to prove himself in a larger role. While he didn't score at a top-six rate, his performance warranted an increase in minutes when he returned to the bottom six.
O'Connor's ice time has climbed to 15:47 in the Penguins' last 19 games. That is an almost three-minute increase from the first 19 games of the season, where O'Connor averaged 13:17 of ice time.
That added responsibility has boosted O'Connor's confidence. "I know how they want me to play," O'Connor said following practice yesterday. "If I play the same way, hopefully things keep clicking here, but definitely a confidence boost."
Now that Reilly Smith's struggles are reaching a breaking point, with two goals in his last 29 games, the Penguins may look to reward O'Connor with another opportunity to move up in the forward lineup.
More must-reads: