Cody Glass doesn’t stress out when, abruptly, the Pittsburgh Penguins task him with switching positions.
Changes to deployment and skating with different wingers is part of everyday life in the NHL, which Glass accepts and has already navigated through during his first campaign in a Penguins sweater.
That said, Tuesday’s pregame hours ahead of puck drop against the Columbus Blue Jackets contained unanticipated news for Glass, who was informed he’d be centering the Penguins’ second line due to Evgeni Malkin being a late scratch.
“I found out like right before the game at our team meeting, like 5:30 (p.m.),” Glass said. “That’s when I found out I was going to be playing center.”
While Glass has played where needed this year, he’d previously received more than 90 minutes’ notice.
During the Penguins’ routine morning skate earlier, which Malkin partook in, Glass skated as Malkin’s right wing along with Michael Bunting.
But upon Malkin being listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury shortly before Tuesday’s contest, Glass moved to center, with Anthony Beauvillier taking his spot as second-line right wing.
Following the Penguins’ 4-3 overtime loss, coach Mike Sullivan did not have any more details to offer on Malkin, only stating that he was unsure exactly when Malkin suffered his injury.
For his part, Glass skated 14 minutes, 22 seconds, recording zero shots and winning one of his six faceoffs.
Bunting scored on the power play early in the second period while Beauvillier posted a shot and a team-high four hits during 13:08 of action.
“I thought we were playing with a lot of speed,” Glass said. “I thought we were forechecking really hard. We were creating turnovers and getting the puck back. We had a really good third period, I thought. In the second, we had some chances as well. I felt like we were creating a lot. Just didn’t end up in the back of the net, which is unfortunate.”
More unfortunate for the Penguins was a two-goal third-period lead surrendered to Columbus, which battled back from a 3-1 hole, scoring a game-tying power-play goal with under three minutes remaining in regulation.
Furthermore, the Blue Jackets were able to survive an overtime period that the Penguins dominated before coming out on top with two points in the shootout.
In overtime, the Penguins played the vast majority of the period in Columbus’ zone, but Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins made a handful of key stops, including a backhander at the crease off the stick of Sidney Crosby.
“Had our chances to score,” Glass said. “(Bryan Rust) had a good one. (Rickard Rakell) had one too that hit a guy’s stick that was probably going in for his hat trick. … It should have been over.”
Tuesday’s loss to a fellow Metropolitan Division foe clawing for points in the Eastern Conference wild-card race begins a five-game homestand on a sour note.
From here, the Penguins play the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday before back-to-back contests against the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning over the weekend.
The Penguins can find some consolation in having secured a point in their last three games, which have been two shootout losses and an overtime defeat.
But by the same token, an additional three points have been left on the table, an ominous midseason trend for a team that has yet to prove its ceiling is higher than the wild-card bubble.
“It’s a tight division,” said goalie Tristan Jarry. “Every point matters at this point of this season and for, frankly, the beginning too. It was a tough start for us. If we can continue to keep getting better every game, I think we’ll get the results that we want.”
