Phil Kessel had a night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The main attraction of the renowned ‘HBK’ Line, Kessel assisted on Carl Hagelin’s second period goal that opened scoring in the game (which came off a Kessel shot) and then scored one himself to put the Penguins up 2-0 in the crucial road game.

After basically being run out of Toronto last summer (you remember hot dog-gate of course) Kessel has been an important player for the Penguins on their run to the Stanley Cup Final. He leads the team with seven goals and 16 points in 14 games, which puts him squarely in the mix for the Conn Smythe Trophy at this point.

But no one should be surprised by this. After Game 3, Lightning coach Jon Cooper even spoke up about Kessel’s brilliance.

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“Phil Kessel probably doesn’t get near the respect he deserves,” Cooper said. “He’s scored a ton of goals in this league. Bonino’s kind of one of those underrated players. He’s always playing with Getzlaf and Perry, you look at the teams he’s played on, there’s always been name stars ahead of him. But he’s a heck of a player. Hagelin’s won everywhere he’s gone.”

The ‘HBK’ line was blessed by its namesake, Shawn Michaels, over the weekend and now it appears as though the former wrestler could make his way to Pittsburgh for Game 5 after the team invited him. As this line gets more respect, and as Kessel continues to shine for the Penguins, maybe he will start getting the recognition he deserves.