Egor Chinakhov explodes as Dan Muse leans on him in Pittsburgh

The Russian winger arrived from Columbus with little noise. A few weeks later, he's suddenly one of the most dangerous shooters in the Penguins' top six.

Through 28 games with Pittsburgh this season, Chinakhov has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. That's strong production for a player who had bounced between lines earlier in the year.

Dan Muse didn't hesitate to elevate him once the offense started flowing. Chinakhov has been skating with skilled forwards and seeing more offensive zone starts.

The timing matters. Pittsburgh sits second in the Metropolitan Division with 81 points, and the club is pushing hard to secure playoff positioning.

Without Evgeni Malkin in the lineup recently, the Penguins needed someone to drive offense on the right side. Chinakhov stepped into that gap.

Over the last stretch of games, Chinakhov has been one of the Penguins' most productive forwards. In March alone he produced 8 points while averaging 18:13 of ice time.

That workload tells the story. Muse is trusting him in offensive situations and on the power play.

The winger's release has always been his calling card. In Pittsburgh, he's getting the puck in better spots and firing quickly before defenders can close the lane.

Anthony Mantha and Bryan Rust now drive the engine of this roster, but Chinakhov is starting to look like a real offensive piece instead of a secondary option.

For a Penguins team that wants one more deep run with its veteran core, finding scoring support is everything.

And right now, Egor Chinakhov might be the unexpected answer on the wing.