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Playing in his first game since being sidelined by a lower body injury nearly a month ago, Tom Sestito had a list of goals to accomplish when he returned to the lineup last Saturday against Albany.

The veteran tough guy wanted to get on the scoresheet, perhaps get his first fight of the season and, most importantly, help his team win.

Sestito accomplished all of that in the Penguins’ 5-3, and more.

Skating on a line with Jean-Sebastien Dea and Josh Archibald, Sestito earned an assist on the first goal of the game – scored by Dea, fought former Penguin tough guy Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond, and was pivotal in dictating his team’s response in the third period when Albany scored two to force a tie.

Head coach Mike Sullivan was especially pleased with the energy that the line of Sestito-Dea-Archibald brought and said their play swung the momentum back in the Penguins’ favor.

Sullivan was also happy with how Sestito looked after the long absence.

“He ended up (on) the scoresheet, made some nice plays, was a physical presence and that (fight with Leblond) was a heavyweight fight on both sides,” Sullivan said. “Those are two tough guys. It was a strong effort for Tommy.”

While the injury forced Sestito to miss crucial time while on a PTO, he said it may have been a blessing in disguise because he was able to spend more time with strength and conditioning coach Doug Davidson.

“I feel like I got a lot stronger,” Sestito said. “It’s always frustrating and injuries happen, but the team has been great with me so far. I wasn’t really worried about it.”

Sestito was originally credited with two assists after the Albany game but that was changed to one. While it would’ve been nice to record a multi-point game, Sestito wasn’t surprised with the stat change and is confident more points will come now that he’s healthy. During previous stints in the AHL, Sestito has never had trouble providing both toughness and offensive production.

He also never lost confidence in his fighting abilities after not having a chance to drop the gloves this season before the Albany contest.

“Leblond stuck me pretty early there so I wanted to get him back. It was a good, decent first fight,” Sestito said. “I haven’t fought in a while so it was good to get that one out of the way.”

Now that he’s healthy, Sullivan looks forward to using Sestito consistently in the lineup.

“He brings an element to our team that we can use,” Sullivan said. “He’s certainly embraced the process here and I think he can help us win.”

NOTES

– With D David Warsofsky still up with Pittsburgh, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton left with six defensemen on the roster, Sullivan didn’t rule out bringing in a seventh blueliner this week.

“That’s a discussion I’ll have with (Pittsburgh’s assistant general manager) Jason Botterill. We’ve got three games in four nights coming up, so it might make sense to make a personnel move,” Sullivan said.

– Injured center Matia Marcantuoni was more active in practice on Monday and Sullivan said he looks “strong.” His progress will be monitored throughout the week.

– D Evan Wardley has a goal and two assists in his first two games with Wheeling, marking a successful return from an injury that has kept him out this season. Sullivan said Wardley is one of several players on his radar. “He’s a young guy that obviously hasn’t played a lot of hockey this year, so it’s important for him to get into some games,” Sullivan said. “He’s getting that opportunity down there.”

After recovering from an early-season injury, Tom Sestito made a strong first impression on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with an assist and a fight.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Sestito.jpg.optimal.jpgAfter recovering from an early-season injury, Tom Sestito made a strong first impression on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with an assist and a fight.

By Tom Venesky

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Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky