Samuel Poulin’s recent recall with the Pittsburgh Penguins will only last one day. The Penguins announced they’ve assigned the former first-round pick to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins earlier today.
Even with the injuries to Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte, Pittsburgh chose not to dress Poulin for yesterday’s shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Unless he’s recalled after the AHL Penguins game this evening against the Hartford Wolf Pack, Poulin will finish the first two months of the NHL season with zero points in two games, averaging 13:49 of ice time per contest.
Despite the Penguins’ unexpected competitiveness this season, it’s somewhat surprising they haven’t given Poulin a longer look on the NHL roster. In what’s shaping up to be his best professional season to date, Poulin has scored nine goals and 20 points in WBS’s first 21 games with a +8 rating.
It’s not a lone bright spot on a disappointing team either. The AHL Penguins currently hold a one-point lead over the Providence Bruins for the top team in the Atlantic Division and the entire Eastern Conference.
Given that he’s leading the team in scoring, let alone on the top team of the Eastern Conference, Poulin has likely earned a longer stay in the NHL at this point. However, being that the Penguins hold the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and are two points away from being in a divisional spot in the Metropolitan Division, they’ll likely stay the course for the time being unless another significant injury hits the roster.