The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed back members of their 2016 Stanley Cup championship squad on Saturday for a ceremony prior to a 6-5 win against the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena.
Part of that group were components of a sturdy fourth line in Eric Fehr, Matt Cullen and Tom Kuhnhackl.
Of the 16 postseason victories that were required for the Penguins to claim the championship that spring, five game-winning goals were scored by members of that line. Cullen and Fehr each scored two game-winners while Kuhnhackl had one.
The headliners on that team were familiar names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. But in reality, the Penguins got contributions from seemingly every corner of that roster a decade ago.
“It’s important,” Crosby said in Cranberry on Tuesday. “You need everybody contributing. Everyone feeling a part of it to have success.”
Seemingly, everyone had a role in the sextet of goals the Penguins put up against the Rangers on Saturday. Twelve players, including goaltender Stuart Skinner, recorded a point.
That’s largely been a predominant theme of the team’s ongoing six-game winning streak. Offense is coming from all over the lineup, especially the bottom-six forwards.
On Saturday, five of the team’s goals were scored by players deployed on the third and fourth lines.
Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari each scored twice while rookie Ben Kindel accounted for the winning goal on an empty net.
Kindy with his FOURTH goal in THREE games ????
???? : @espn on @abcpic.twitter.com/LZ8JbNKi6u
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 31, 2026
“Top to bottom, first line to fourth line, we play a very consistent, connected game out there,” Skinner said. “Our third and fourth line, how they get on the forecheck, how they play such a strong game defensively, all those little things, those are the type of players and lines that you need in order to win and we’ve been doing that.”
At the moment, the third line is composed of Mantha on the left wing, Kindel at center and rookie Rutger McGroarty on the right wing.
Typically, Justin Brazeau is stationed on the right wing of the line but he has a temporary promotion on the top line with right winger Bryan Rust serving a three-game suspension. That led to McGroarty being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
“Ben’s been playing really well,” Mantha said on Thursday following a 6-2 home win against the Blackhawks. “He’s a great passer, great player, and you can see it. And (McGroarty) comes up, gets called up with (Rust) being out. He’s fast, he’s physical, he’s going to the net, he opens areas for us to make plays.”
Mantha has finished quite a few plays as of late. In the past four games, he has eight points (five goals, three assists).
Mantha extends his point streak to 4 games and the Penguins strike first!
(Via @espn) pic.twitter.com/zy7NSJUgYp
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 31, 2026
“He gets in those areas, he gets open,” coach Dan Muse said of Mantha. “He’s got a really dangerous shot. He has played up and down our top three lines. He can play either wing. That versatility, it’s a really good thing for us to have. … He’s been good. He’s driving play, he’s been moving his feet, he’s been creating different ways. You see the stuff off the rush then you see the stuff around the net. He’s got the ability to do that.”
The current fourth line has displayed quite a bit of ability as well.
With Acciari at right wing, Blake Lizotte at center and Connor Dewar on the left wing, the so-called LAD Line combined on four goals in the past two games, including a pair of scores by Dewar in Thursday’s triumph.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 30, 2026
“Pucks to the net,” Acciari said of the LAD Line’s meat-and-potatoes approach. “Just kind of dirty-area goals. For us, it’s just simple and it’s been working. So, we’re just going to keep up with that.”
It’s probably premature to draw comparisons between the current Penguins and their 2016 counterparts. It’s only February and the current squad has had its depth, particularly on the blue line, become pockmarked by injuries and other absences.
But a common trait appears to be present in the places that scoring is coming from.
Everywhere.
“It’s a massive part of why we’re winning,” Mantha said. “I think everyone in the (offensive) zone is kind of creating chances and getting the puck behind (the) goalie.”
Note: The Penguins canceled a scheduled practice Sunday.