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Dan Muse falls to 0 for 6 on goalie-interference challenges, Penguins still 30-15-12
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
TribLIVE's Seth Rorabaugh frames Avery Hayes as a Pittsburgh Penguins top-six fit, while Dan Muse's coach's challenge skid keeps biting.
Avery Hayes is only two NHL games into this 2025-26 run, and it already feels like a real audition, not a cute cameo.
He popped two goals in his NHL debut in Buffalo on February 5, the kind of "welcome to the league" punch that forces coaches to keep looking your way.
Hayes is 23, undrafted, and he signed a two-year entry-level deal that starts this season, which matters because cheap skill always gets extra runway.
I also loved the tiny detail Rorabaugh had about him deferring on the "Hayes-y" nickname out of respect for Kevin Hayes. That's a rookie who gets the room.
On Thursday against New Jersey, Muse kept him in the mix on the second line, and Hayes logged 11:47 with two shots and enough bite to take a slashing penalty while mixing it up.
That's the package that plays in a top-six, pace, forecheck, and a willingness to get uncomfortable around bigger bodies.
Avery Hayes gives the Pittsburgh Penguins real juice
You can feel Penguins fans wanting something new to stick, but also bracing for the usual rug-pull the second the lineup gets healthy.
Now the other half of Rorabaugh's post: Muse is 0-for-6 on goalie-interference challenges, and Thursday's failed challenge didn't help.
Muse basically admitted he's playing percentages and game state, like challenging when you're killing a penalty anyway and hoping the blue-paint contact flips your way.
That's defensible logic, but the tax is real: you risk handing teams a power play and handing your own bench a momentum gut-punch.
Pittsburgh still banked the 4-1 win and sits 30-15-12, so the bigger story is this: Hayes is giving them an honest reason to keep the top-six door cracked.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 27|73 ANSWERS Dan Muse falls to 0 for 6 on goalie-interference challenges, Penguins still 30-15-12 Should Dan Muse dial back goalie-interference coach's challenges? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 61.6 % |
| No | 28 | 38.4 % |
| List of polls | ||