Rob Scuderi is tied for the lead among Penguins defensemen for being on the ice for the fewest even strength/short-handed goals:

Midway through Wednesday’s game against New Jersey, Penguins coach Mike Johnston had grown frustrated with Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr’s dominance in the offensive zone.

So he turned to defenseman Rob Scuderi. Problem solved.

Johnston and the Penguins are pleased with Scuderi’s play through eight games and are hopeful his resurgence will continue.

“Jagr was tough to handle down low,” Johnston said. “We made a change. I thought Scuderi could handle him just because of his intelligence.”

The plan worked. Jagr wasn’t heard from again as the Penguins routed the Devils, 8-3.

Johnston plans to use Scuderi in such roles during the remainder of the season.

Scuderi acknowledged during training camp that his play last season wasn’t acceptable and that part of the reason for his sluggish performance was he never recovered mentally from breaking an ankle 12 months earlier.

Now it appears he has.

Scuderi and the Penguins’ penalty killers struggled during the season’s first week, but the veteran has been drawing rave reviews lately from the coaching staff and teammates.

Scuderi has been on the ice for only three even-strength goals by opponents.

“He’s had a very good start to the season,” Johnston said. “With his positional play, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing against. He’s in good position all the time.”

Johnston will match wits with Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter on Thursday, and Sutter knows all about Scuderi. They won a Stanley Cup together in 2012.

“No maintenance,” Sutter said. “You know what you’re getting out of him. Every day same thing. He comes to work, and he knows the game. He’s an extension of the coaching staff.”

Scuderi has played all season with defenseman Simon Despres. Although they aren’t receiving heavy minutes — Kris Letang, Olli Maatta, Christian Ehrhoff and Paul Martin generally play more — they have been effective. Scuderi, who is averaging slightly more than 16 minutes per game, has influenced Despres positively.

“He’s a good veteran for me to be around,” Despres said. “He’s helping me so much with my game. And, honestly, I think he’s playing great. He’s really stepped up his game.”

The Penguins’ blue line possesses plenty of youth with the likes of Despres, Maatta and Robert Bortuzzo. Kings players insist the youngsters would be wise to listen to Scuderi.

“He always knew how to settle our team down when something wasn’t right,” Kings forward Jordan Nolan said. “Always knew the right thing to say.”

Scuderi is a plus-2 thus far.

“I don’t rate players every year,” Fleury said. “But I think he’s been very, very good. He’s so good defensively.”

The Penguins are aware Scuderi faced plenty of criticism last season from outside the dressing room. They’re also respectful of the veteran’s game and excited about its direction.

“He’s been so solid back there,” center Brandon Sutter said. “You need guys like him to win.”

Josh Yohe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jyohe@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JoshYohe_Trib.