Dustin Jeffrey notched a goal and an assist in Pittsburgh's 3-1 win over Ottawa Monday night.
It was his first appearance since April 2 and he made the most of his 14:49 of ice time. "This was my opportunity," Jeffrey said. "I wanted to do something with it."

Dustin Jeffrey has been centering the second line, between James Neal and Beau Bennett, with Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup due to injury.
When Malkin missed four games with a concussion, Brandon Sutter moved into the second-line role, but this time around the Penguins decided to promote Jeffrey and keep their other combinations intact. "I feel like I've played well," Jeffrey said. "All the feedback from the coaching staff has been positive. I had a couple of good chances against the Islanders. I'm getting quality chances. You get more concerned when you're not getting those kinds of chances." He has just two goals and no assists, with 16 shots, in 14 games this season.

Dustin Jeffrey has been skating with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal at practice and it looks like he'll start there on Thursday night.
Jeffrey has dressed in two games so far this year, while recording two shots and no points. Eric Tangradi and Tyler Kennedy didn't work out alongside Malkin and Neal, so it's hard to imagine that Jeffrey will either.

Dustin Jeffrey was a healthy scratch on Sunday.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma didn't sound like someone who made the decision because Jeffrey did anything wrong. "Dustin is a guy who can do a lot of different things," coach Dan Bylsma said. "He can play up [on a top line], he can play on the power play, he can play penalty-kill, he's a left-handed shot [faceoff] guy. He adds some skill, but he's also a guy who ... in the American Hockey League, was a shutdown-type of centerman. He can do a lot of different things." Jeffrey probably won't have to wait too long before his next game.

Dustin Jeffrey will fight for a spot in Pittsburgh's lineup after overcoming a torn ACL that affected him for 18 months.
Jeffrey played in Austria during the lockout and produced 23 points in 20 games. He was satisfied with his decision to play there. "It was a smart career choice," he said. "I needed to get my confidence back. That was the big thing for me. I was able to test my knee. The league isn`t what it is here, but to play in-game competition was huge for me." If he cracks the lineup, Jeffrey will likely fill a 3rd or 4th line winger spot, as the Pens' centre position is loaded with talent. He could emerge as a solid sleeper in deeper leagues.