It’s been about two and a half months since the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Egor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Chinakhov had requested a trade from the Blue Jackets last summer, and his wish was granted at the end of December. He only compiled three goals and six points with the Blue Jackets this year before he was traded to the Penguins.
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A couple of weeks after the Penguins acquired him, I wrote about how the early returns for Chinakhov were really strong. He racked up two goals and three points in his first six games with the Penguins, showcasing his blistering release and his speed.
Since then, he’s been even better, with 11 goals and 19 points in 26 games with the Penguins. His play over the last week is what I really want to focus on for this article.
He’s been without Evgeni Malkin for the last three games since his linemate is serving a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head last Thursday. During that time, he has seen his role increase, playing on the top line with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, as well as on the top power-play unit.
He is flourishing in both roles and has been a big reason why the Penguins have earned four out of a possible six points during this stretch. Going back to Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he finished with two assists and was everywhere on the ice. He was creating chances for himself and for his teammates and was responsible defensively.
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) handles the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Egor Chinakhov (59) in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
That play carried over to Sunday’s game against the Boston Bruins when he willed the rest of the team back into it. The Penguins were down 3-0 late in the second period and desperately needed a spark on a 5-on-3 power play. He took a pass from Rakell and made no mistake, making it a 3-1 game with 5:16 left in the period.
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After that, he was all over the ice in the third period before making the play of the game in overtime. The Bruins won the opening draw, but Chinakhov pestered Charlie McAvoy until he stole the puck and eventually took it to the front of the net for a chance. He didn’t bury the puck, but it set the stage for Tommy Novak’s game-winner just a couple of seconds later.
He wasn’t officially credited with an assist for the goal, but he made all of it happen.
On Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Penguins ran their top power-play unit through him during regulation, and it delivered with a beautiful pass to Bryan Rust, who made it 2-1 in the second period. Chinakhov then earned an assist on Noel Acciari’s goal that made it a 4-3 game late in the third period before Rust scored again with less than a minute to go, helping the Penguins steal a much-needed point.
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Chinakhov almost won the game early in overtime, but Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen made a really nice save. He then had Andersen beaten in the shootout, but sailed the shot wide.
Despite missing that shootout attempt, Chinakhov is playing at a ridiculously high level right now and has really stepped up in place of Crosby and Malkin. He’s trying to help this team keep this special season going and make the playoffs.
He’s also shaping up to earn a nice pay raise from the Penguins this summer since he’s been such a perfect fit. It’s Chinakhov’s world, and we’re just living in it.
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