Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen returns to the lineup

Forward Kasperi Kapanen returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for Tuesday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena.

It was a healthy scratch during Sunday’s 4-1 road loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

By any measure, Kapanen’s season has been disappointing. Before Tuesday’s game, he appeared in 77 games and scored just 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) while averaging 14 minutes, 46 seconds of ice time.

By contrast, he scored 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) while posting an average of 15:32 of ice time in 40 games last season.

Going into Tuesday’s game, Kapanen had gone 12 games without scoring.

Despite that futility, Sullivan was confident that Kapanen was capable of making a greater contribution.

“I just think sometimes players go through ups and downs throughout their career. They go through ups and downs throughout their season,” Sullivan said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “What I will tell you is that we think (Kapanen) is a very capable player and he has the ability to make a difference for us. He has shown it in part of his time here. We are hopeful that that is what we are going to achieve in the future. (Kapanen) is a really good player. I know he cares a lot. I know he is not for lack of effort, (care) or (attempt) on his part. This guy is a good teammate, he is a good player.

“We’re trying to find a way to help him capture his best game. He has the ability to make a difference for us. We are hopeful that we can help him capture his best game.”

Kapanen opened Tuesday’s game on the Penguins’ back row with Jeff Carter at center and Jason Zucker at left wing.

As for Sunday’s scratch, the indignity of that season was amplified by the presence of Kapanen’s father, former NHL forward Sami Kapanen, who flew in from Finland to watch the game.

“Those are the hardest decisions you have to make as a coach,” Sullivan told reporters in Philadelphia after Sunday’s game. “When we have a healthy group of players, we have lineup decisions that are very difficult. All these guys want to play, and (Kapanen) is no different. Those are not easy decisions. But they are part of what we check in on.”

What to look for with the Lindsay Award

Ballots for the NHL awards voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) were distributed Monday. All votes must be submitted by May 2 to be considered.

Members of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) vote for one award, the Ted Lindsay Award which, as stated, is given to the “most outstanding player”.

On Tuesday, Penguins forward Bryan Rust was asked what he considers voting for that honor.

“Obviously you look at the guys who are at the top of the league offensively and the best couple of goalies,” Rust said. “For me, I like to look at guys who play well or who are difficult to play against all over the ice. They also bring a lot of points, but they don’t let many goals in either. They are always playing in the offensive zone, they are always an advantage, that kind of thing.

PHWA members vote for the Hart Memorial Trophy, the league’s MVP award. The criteria for that honor is slightly different, as it is set to recognize “the player considered to be the most valuable to his team.”