Pascal Dupuis: Penguins Unsung Hero

Pascal Dupuis is 3rd on the Pens in scoring. (Tom Turk/THW)

Over the past few seasons the Pittsburgh Penguins have not had their full roster. Sidney Crosby has been sidelined with a concussion. Evgeni Malkin was out a large chunk of last season and some of this season with a knee injury. Jordan Staal with a variety of ailments has been left off the roster at various times over the past two seasons. Almost every player for the Penguins has missed some time due to injury this year and over the past two seasons.

The sole reason why the Penguins have been one of the most consistent and best teams in the league is due to their role players. All the Pens’ role players talk about is playing a north and south game, getting the puck behind the other team’s defense and exiting their defensive zone as quickly as possible.

The one constant through all of the commotion has been Pascal Dupuis. The Pens’ coaching staff knows what they are going to get from Dupuis every season. He has played in 81 games the past two seasons and has participated in all of the Penguins 37 games to date.

The French-Canadian born forward has a burst of speed that not many players in the NHL carry with them. Duper can unleash a shot with heaviness and quickness, as he has put on display at many points this season. He can let loose any type of shot. Not many forwards can blast a wrist, snap and slap shot as equally and as fearsome as Dupuis. Most players are one-dimensional with one type of shot.

Dupuis encompasses the ability, and has often been asked by Dan Bylsma, to play in every kind of in-game situation this season. Dupuis has played the point on the power play since he carries one of the hardest slap shots on the team. He has the skating speed to keep up with Sidney Crosby and has been Crosby’s winger more often than not when Sid has been healthy enough to play. Duper is one of the most important penalty killers on the team as he anchors the 5th best penalty killing unit in the NHL.

Dupuis is the type of player every NHL team wants to have on their roster. He is consistent and has the versatility to be placed in any situation at any point in a game. The Pens management and coaching staff knew this season that Dupuis would score around 18 goals, be one of their best penalty killers and show up to play every single night. He has lived up to this billing and much more in this year’s campaign.

Dupuis is third on the Pens in total points with 25. He sits behind James Neal and Malkin. Neal is two goals away from being the leading goal scorer in the NHL. Malkin has been on an absolute point scoring tear since the most recent hiatus of Crosby, and is only three points behind Claude Giroux from leading the NHL in scoring. Dupuis has accomplished a career best season thus far without Crosby as his center for almost the entire year.

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Dupuis never takes credit for any accolades and does not receive enough credit for his consistent play. He is on pace for a career high in goals and career high in points. The Penguins’ right-winger has tallied 11 goals and 14 assists in 37 games this season. At one point he led the entire NHL in even strength assists. His best full season was back in 2002-03 for the Minnesota Wild when he recorded 20 goals and 28 assists, stats he is on track to shatter this season.

Dupuis recorded his 300th career point back on December 17th against the Buffalo Sabres. His career has been nothing short of solid. Without his reliable services this injury-ridden season, the Penguins could be sitting outside of the playoff picture. Instead, Dupuis and the Penguins are right in the thick of the Eastern conference battle and despite over 350 man-games lost due to injury, are still 6th in the league in goals for per game.

The return of Crosby may be unknown for a long period of time, but the Penguins know that Pascal Dupuis will be in the line-up giving a sensational effort on a nightly basis. This is why he deserves hefty praise and has been the Penguins’ unsung hero to this point in the 2011-12 season.