Dan Muse Praises Newly-Acquired Yegor Chinakhov After Recording First Penguins Goal

The Pittsburgh Penguins are battling for a playoff spot, and the team went out and added Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 29 to add more offense to the lineup.

Chinakhov was a former first-round pick who had struggled to get ice time in Columbus, and the Penguins traded forward Danton Heinen, the St. Louis Blues’ 2026 second-round draft pick, and the Washington Capitals’ 2027 third-round draft pick.

On Saturday, Chinakhov skated in his second game with the Penguins and showed off what he can do. He scored the second goal of the game to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the first period, which ended up being the game-winner.

Following the Penguins’ 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, head coach Dan Muse had plenty of praise for Chinakhov and his offensive ability.

“It’s as advertised,” Muse said postgame on Saturday. “It is. It’s just really heavy. He gets it off quick. I mean, obviously it’s a great goal there. It’s a great pass on the goal, great finish. But you see it there, the downhill that he had with the power play, too. Ended up missing, but yeah, that release is unique.”

Chinakhov skated on the third line with Ben Kindel and Rutger McGroarty, and Muse believes the goal can help the Russian gain some more confidence.

“I think it helps. You don’t want it to get to the point where you get some chances, and now you’re starting to think about it,” Muse said. “I mean, I think he’s done a good job just going out there and playing. I said the first game for him was just a lot of special teams, a lot of penalty kills. So, it was tougher to get into the game for him.

“I thought it was a little bit easier tonight. I think in both games, though, you see the shot, the obvious. But I think his work away from the puck has been really good, the defensive responsibility, some of the details in his game. Even line changes, coming off at the right time. There’s been a lot of good things there.”

With the win on Saturday, Pittsburgh is 19-12-9 and holding onto a Wild Card spot. The Penguins will return to the ice on Sunday against the Blue Jackets as Chinakhov gets to play his former team.

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