A Big Night for Brazeau

Justin Brazeau didn’t do a whole lot over the holiday break, staying in Pittsburgh with his fiancé Madison and their infant son Jackson.

He called it a nice reset, saying it got him excited to come back, which was evident from Brazeau’s first shift of the first game back on Sunday in Chicago. The 27-year-old forward finished the night with three goals in the Penguins’ 7-3 win, getting the first hat trick of his NHL career.

He's the fourth undrafted player to score a hat trick for the Penguins in the last 30 years, joining Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis and Evan Rodrigues.

“Obviously, a pretty cool feeling,” Brazeau said. “It’s been a long time since I had one of those, so it feels pretty weird. Probably back in my first year pro, I would think. It’s probably been six, seven years now? So, it’s been a while. But obviously, a good feeling for me.”

It’s been quite the season for Brazeau, who signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason, his first NHL one-way deal. He now has 11 goals in 23 games, which ties his career high set in 76 games last season.

When Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas was in Toronto, he signed Brazeau to his first professional contract after he impressed with 61 goals in 68 games during his final junior campaign with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion.

But after spending time in both the ECHL and AHL, Brazeau was at a crossroads in the summer of 2021. He didn’t have any offers, and was preparing to go back to school and regroup. He had even enrolled in kinesiology courses at the University of Toronto.

But then the Bruins made an offer, and he headed East. Brazeau made his NHL debut on Feb. 19, 2024 and put together a couple of strong seasons. That led to Brazeau joining the Penguins, and he got off to a hot start.

“Someone said to me, he's getting a second chance. I think with Justin Brazeau, it's not a second chance. It's his first chance in a in a role like that,” Dubas said.

Dubas said when they signed Brazeau, they knew he could score because they had seen him do it at other levels, as he’s got that touch and sense in and around the net.

They liked how Brazeau had improved at protecting pucks low and making plays from that part of the ice.

And what stood out during training camp and the exhibition season was Brazeau’s ability to disrupt pucks defensively and return possession to the Penguins. That added up to Brazeau taking advantage of playing alongside Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha and converting his chances.

“I've known him for a long time. He's an easy person to root for, and want to see him do well,” Dubas said. “I think this is his first chance in that sort of a role, and full marks to him for taking advantage.”

Brazeau tallied twice in the season opener on Oct. 7 at Madison Square Garden, and picked up four goals in his first four games. Overall, he had six goals in his first 12 games while welcoming his first child, son Jackson, with fiancé Madison.

“I knew I could kind of be that player,” Brazeau said. “I mean, obviously, coming into the year, I wouldn't have said I would have been a point per game guy. I think just the belief that I can play and be a good player, not just kind of a fourth-line guy. I think I've believed in myself like that, and just got to kind of keep building on it and keep working.”

Unfortunately, Brazeau got sidelined with an upper-body injury that kept him out for just over a month. The team’s struggles began around the time Brazeau returned, and it was a challenging time for everyone wearing black and gold.

But everything came together tonight for the Penguins, with Brazeau playing a big part in Pittsburgh’s much-needed win.

“It was great. You've seen it throughout the year with him. I think when he was coming back from the injury, it always takes a little bit of time to get back and get going here,” Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse said. “But I think he's really starting to find himself and get his game back to where he knows it can be, and where we know it can be.”

He provided a net-front presence to help Mantha find the back of the net just 1:38 into play. At the 8:20 mark, Brazeau was the recipient of a nice feed from Mantha, who had the puck below the goal line, and put it home for his first of the night.

Just seconds into a Pittsburgh power play during the middle frame, Brazeau was stationed on the goal line facing the blue line when he got a pass from Ben Kindel. Brazeau then powered to the blue paint and got the puck over the goal line for his second of the night.

Brazeau got his third less than a minute later when he tipped a shot from Connor Dewar.

“(Getting to the net), I think it’s something I've tried to do my whole career,” the 6-6 forward told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “Obviously, I'm a big guy. I'm gonna score my goals there, so that's where I gotta go. I like going there and like making those plays happen.”

"Dealing with it in practice, you can't really move him from that net," Ryan Shea said. "So, when he gets there, he's very dangerous, very smart with his stick. He can tip anything. But yeah, I mean, he's been incredible. He knows how to score goals, and he's not going to change anything if that's the result every time."