BUFFALO, N.Y. – Defenseman Frankie Corrado was in the lineup for the Penguins on Tuesday night in Buffalo, making his debut for the team that acquired him from Toronto at the March 1 trade deadline.
For Corrado, it was a new start.
For the Penguins, it was the continuation of a story that is getting old.
Corrado, a 23-year-old right-handed defender known for his puck-moving ability, never found his way into a regular lineup spot in a season-plus with the Maple Leafs. As such, he was happy to be moved to the Penguins.
“It's a new set of eyes around you, so it's nice,” Corrado said. “It's a new perspective. I was real excited about it.”
The move brought a bit of a change in style of play for Corrado. Compared to other teams, the Penguins ask their defensemen to move the puck extraordinarily quickly.
Corrado said he got a good feel for what the Penguins are about during a seven-game stint with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the deadline.
“It's a team that wants to make the pace of play pretty fast, and that's by moving pucks up quick and catching teams on transition,” Corrado said. “That's one of the things you have to do when you come here.”
Thanks to a relentless string of injuries, Corrado is the 14th defenseman the Penguins used this season, tying Montreal for the most in the NHL. Twenty-six of the league's teams have used between nine and 11 defensemen this season.
“Anytime you go through what we've gone through here as of late, it's hard to replace some of the guys that have been out and just the sheer number of guys alone has been a challenge in and of itself,” said Mike Sullivan, who noted he coached Corrado in Vancouver in 2013-14.
“I give our players a lot of credit. These guys are competing hard. We've got a real driven group. They understand, to a man, what our team identity is and how we have to play and, then specifically, what their role is and what their contribution is to helping us win.”
Pouliot's progress
Corrado was called up Tuesday when the Penguins made a switch on defense, with Derrick Pouliot headed to Wilkes-Barre. Center Oskar Sundqvist also was called up.
Pouliot struggled in his most recent NHL stint. He was on the ice for three goals against in a 6-4 win over New Jersey and spent considerable time in his own end in a 4-0 win over Florida.
Sullivan, though, continued to express confidence the 23-year-old defensive prospect will end up on the right track.
“We still believe in him,” Sullivan said. “We believe he's a good player. He's a talented player, and this is just part of the process as a young player. Some players' learning curves are faster than others.”
Helping hand
Corrado was paired with Mark Streit to start the game, which was nothing new for the 39-year-old recently acquired Penguins defenseman.
While with Philadelphia, Streit often was paired with 19-year-old Ivan Provorov or 23-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere.
‘It's all about communication, on and off the ice,” Streit said. “All the players coming into the league, they're all hockey players. They all know how to play the game. Maybe it's the experience they're missing. Maybe there's nervousness. I think if you talk to the guys, on the ice especially, it makes it easier. It makes the game simpler for sure.”
Injury report
Evgeni Malkin missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Sullivan said he skated Tuesday morning at home.
Winger Tom Sestito, meanwhile, is day to day with an upper-body injury, which necessitated the Sundqvist call-up.
Bryan Rust, out since Feb. 9 with an upper-body injury, practiced with the team at Tuesday's morning skate.
Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.
