Aston-Reese getting better with each game
And as he took the ice prior to puck drop, that's when it sunk in - he would be making his NHL playoff debut for the Penguins, the team he grew up watching.
"I was just so jittery, I just wanted to get it over with," Aston-Reese admitted with a laugh. "But just going out for that skate right after warmups, seeing all the towels going and the yellow shirts, it was a pretty special moment."
Aston-Reese was a factor in that game, skating on the fourth line with Riley Sheahan and Tom Kuhnhackl and helping create momentum with extended offensive-zone shifts in Pittsburgh's 7 0 win. Aston-Reese said their focus was to set the next line up, and they accomplished that, with one of those shifts leading to a goal for Carl Hagelin.
"I thought it was definitely another pace, another half a step faster and maybe the intensity level being just that much higher," Aston-Reese said. "It was definitely a harder game out there."
Aston-Reese felt a lot more comfortable in Game 2, and it showed in his play. He was strong across all 200 feet of the ice, breaking up scoring plays in the defensive zone and creating a couple of chances in the offensive zone.
"I think with both games, as each one has gone on I've gotten better with each shift," he said. "There's still a lot of work to be done, just on the production side of things and just getting on the scoresheet."
While Aston-Reese knows there's room for improvement, the coaching staff liked his overall game so much that they moved him up with Derick Brassard and Phil Kessel for much of the matchup, and even put him out with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel for a few shifts.
"It's definitely nice for that to happen," Aston-Reese said. "The more ice time you get, the more involved you get just mentally and physically, that's definitely nice to be trusted by the coaches."
Mike Sullivan praised Aston-Reese's two-way game, saying that he's a good net-front guy who goes to the net, is in the battle areas, strong along the wall and defensively responsible. That's where Aston-Reese's focus is, because he feels like if he takes care of his own end, it'll eventually translate to success at the other end.
He's proven capable of producing at this level, as Aston-Reese scored four goals in 16 games with the Penguins during the regular season. He's hoping he'll be able to start contributing here in the postseason.
"It's kind of what I pride myself on, just taking care of little details and all those little details will add up to what you're trying to accomplish," he said. "I still need to find a little more poise in the offensive zone. I think playing with (Brassard and Kessel), I just try to keep it simple and get the puck to the net and I thought that we created a few chances for ourselves."
Overall, it was a good first couple of games for the rookie winger, who's just trying to stay in the moment as much as he can while he lives a childhood dream.
"I try not to think about it too much, to be honest," he said with a laugh. "It's kind of surreal."
