New-look 3rd line finding early success for Penguins

Connor Dewar did not arrive in Pittsburgh with the strongest reputation for scoring goals.

In fairness, the 25-year-old showed some modest scoring touch during parts of two campaigns with the Minnesota Wild at the start of his career, but when the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him to the Penguins on March 7, he had produced zero goals in 31 games this season.

Yet, through his first four games with the Penguins, he’s scored three times, including two goals Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

Connor Dewar cleans up in tight for his 2nd goal of the season, tying it up at 1!#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/RdHgjax18p

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 15, 2025

“It’s been great to come in and contribute right away,” Dewar said after the Penguins beat the Devils at home 7-3. “It makes you feel a lot more comfortable, and it’s nice to help out and get some wins here.”

Dewar’s individual success has been sparked partially by coach Mike Sullivan’s deployment of a new-look third line the past handful of games.

First assembled mid-game during an overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights on March 11, it features Blake Lizotte at center flanked by Dewar and Noel Acciari.

Sullivan liked what he saw during those initial shifts and as a result, kept the trio together versus the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and Saturday against the Devils.

Positive results have followed as Lizotte has notched three assists over that span, with Acciari recording a helper on Dewar’s first-period score Saturday.

“I just think, No. 1, they’re playing real well, but they play the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “There’s detail associated with their game. They have structure, so they’re predictable for one another. They don’t go on their own agenda — they have structure.

“When you play with structure and you’re predictable to one another, you can work collectively as a group on both sides of the puck, and it makes the game a little bit easier. They have it. They’re competitive guys, and they compete hard. They’re willing to go to the net and do a lot of little things that I think add up to success.”

The offensive contributions of Lizotte, Dewar and Acciari are worth noting given that Sullivan primarily tasks them with playing more of a defensive role.

All three see heavy minutes on the penalty kill (about 2 minutes, 6 seconds on average between them) and are a go-to option for defensive-zone starts against more potent offensive lines.

As the Penguins ride a four-game win streak that ties their season best, Lizotte, Dewar and Acciari can take pride in being a tangible part of the late-season surge.

“I think we’re predictable as a group,” Acciari said. “We all kind of know what we’re going to do with the puck. We’re all similar in the sense of our job. We might start in the (defensive) zone every shift, but our job is to get the puck in the (offensive) zone and we’ve been finding a way to click there and get a couple goals along the way.”

After New Jersey opened things up with a goal in the first period Saturday, Dewar responded for the Penguins, burying a rebound past Jacob Markstrom.

AP

Penguins forward Connor Dewar gets a shot past New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom during the first period Saturday.

Dewar got the play started with a strong forecheck, hitting New Jersey’s Simon Nemec on the boards, which prefaced Acciari finding the puck before he advanced into the right faceoff circle and fired a shot on net.

Lurking around the crease with Lizotte, Dewar found himself in good position for a second-chance opportunity when Markstrom failed to glove the puck and freeze it.

“They go to the net, (and) they go to the blue paint,” Sullivan said. “The goal that (Dewar) scored tonight is the perfect example. It’s not a highlight-reel goal, but it’s pretty effective. If you go to the net, put a puck on net, that next play a lot of the time’s real hard to defend. It’s one way to manufacture offense, but you’ve got to go there for that to happen. They do that.

“They’re willing to do a lot of the details, shift-in and shift-out, that I think set them up for success. I think they’re playing very well right now as a group.”

Teammates respect the style of game Lizotte, Dewar and Acciari are playing.

“They’re a straightforward kind of line,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “They play with speed, (and) they play hard. There’s no (nonsense) in their game.”

Before joining forces with Dewar and Acciari, Lizotte had two points over his previous 28 games dating to Dec. 28.

Before Saturday, Acciari had similarly managed only two points since the end of December.

“We’re all on the same page in terms of how we want to play,” Lizotte said. “Typically a little bit safer line, if you will. We don’t take too many risks. I think that makes it easier to jell, and we have jelled quickly. Hopefully it continues to grow as we keep going here.”

Note: The Penguins had a scheduled day off Sunday.