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When Jim Rutherford took over the Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager position in 2014 one of his first moves was to trade for Patric Hornqvist. He sent James Neal to the Nashville Predators for Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. That trade is finally paying huge dividends for the Penguins, as Hornqvist has been outstanding during this Penguins’ run.
Nestled in on Sydney Crosby’s right side, Hornqvist has found his game and is thriving in these playoffs. On a team with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, Hornqvist isn’t asked to be a superstar, but he is certainly playing like it so far in these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He’s scored 47 goals in 146 regular season games for the Penguins and has added 55 assists. Those are solid numbers but most have managed to come under the radar — until these playoffs, that is.
Through nine games, Hornqvist has tallied five goals, including the game-winner in overtime that gave the Penguins a 3-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals. Horqvist buried a loose puck behind Captials goaltender Braden Holtby 2:34 into the overtime period to give the Penguins a 3-2 win. It was his second straight night with a goal.
His other three goals came in Game 1 in the opening round series against the New York Rangers which turned out to be a 5-2 win. His hat-trick set the tone early for the Penguins, and although he didn’t score again in that series he was a thorn in the side of the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist.
Hornqvist is elevating his game at the perfect time for the Penguins, and this is exactly what Rutherford envisioned when he acquired the Swede, someone to get to rebounds and loose pucks in front of the opposing team’s net and bury them home. Crosby and Malkin are the superstars, but Hornqvist is certainly playing a vital role for the Penguins. He could help bring the Cup home to Pittsburgh once more.
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