With all the Penguins injuries on defense, one of the highlights of the whole season has been the emergence of Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph was thrust into the NHL lineup after several injuries to defensemen and shined brightly. For a 21-year old who made his NHL debut on January 22nd, by January 30th Joseph had a three point night in his fifth NHL game while playing 25:58. The next game he played 26:14, and the game after that he scored his first NHL goal.
It was a whirlwind start for Joseph, who went from a complete unknown quantity to almost instantly playing first pair NHL minutes, and playing them well.