The Pittsburgh Penguins’ fourth line of Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari has returned to strong play during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, following injuries that kept Lizotte out for 16 games and Dewar for four games near the end of the regular season, according to an April 28 update.
The performance of this trio is important as they have been tasked with generating momentum and handling difficult matchups against opponents’ top lines. Their return to form comes at a crucial time for the team’s playoff hopes.
Lizotte said after Game 1, “For the most part, I thought we had an okay game. And that’s not what you need in the playoffs. I think there’s areas we can improve. But yeah, it’s good to be back with those two, for sure.” Head Coach Dan Muse added about their recent efforts: “They’ve been awesome. The last two games, I think they kind of found another level… Their defensive detail is outstanding – the work ethic; the second, third and fourth efforts; the tenacity that they play with. This is all ingrained in their DNA. It’s who they are. But they also have skill, and you’ve seen that as well.”
In Game 4 against Philadelphia, Dewar contributed both defensively on penalty kills and offensively by scoring an empty-net goal to secure a victory in a must-win situation for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby commented on Dewar’s Game 5 goal: “It was huge,” Crosby said. “Great shot by Dewey. I was pretty confident when I saw it that it was in. You never know, but it looked pretty good from where I was.”
Dewar set career highs this season in goals (14), assists (16), and points (30), ranking third on the team with a +16 rating according to Muse: “He doesn’t take any shifts off… he’s got skill, and he doesn’t just make plays, but he’s also shown that ability to finish.” Bryan Rust praised their penalty killing role: “They’re guys that are the first couple guys over the boards all the time and they do an amazing job. They’re huge reasons why our penalty kill was and is as good as it is.”
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Looking ahead at Game 6 in Philadelphia, Dewar said: “We’re just fighting to stay together,” adding that every win gives them more days together as a group.
