It would be a slight stretch to say Joona Koppanen was the most unlikely first-time goal-getter for Pittsburgh this season. After all, a Penguins goalie did light the lamp.

But when Koppanen scored his first NHL goal in Tuesday’s loss at PPG Paints Arena, there had to be hundreds of fans who said, “Who?” before cheering loudly anyway.

Yeah, it’s become that kind of season for a Penguins team in transition. Koppanen was the 41st player to suit up for them, the most since Sidney Crosby’s rookie year.

The 27-year-old forward was a surprise call-up ahead of Tuesday’s must-win game against the New York Islanders. Mike Sullivan said the Penguins had a few players who were “nicked up,” which made it necessary for them to add another forward.

Koppanen seized that opportunity, scoring on a nice deflection in the first period.

The Penguins would haphazardly blow a 2-0 lead in the third and suffer a loss that all but killed their playoff hopes. That put a damper on Koppanen’s milestone night.

“Great feeling, of course,” said Koppanen, who appeared in four NHL games for the Penguins last season. “But we’re all here for a win, so can’t be too happy with that.”

Still, the goal was a wonderful reward for the no-frills Finn, who has been a veteran leader and valuable role player on a prospect-laden Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squad.

A few weeks ago, Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza, who oversees the American Hockey League club, made a point to mention Koppanen as one of a few older players whose presence has been beneficial to the prospects down there.

Until Tuesday, Koppanen had spent all of this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He played on the wing in Tuesday’s loss, but he predominantly has been deployed as a bottom-six center for the AHL club, taking on difficult matchups and alleviating some of the pressure on young centers such as Tristan Broz and Vasily Ponomarev.

And when the NHL club needed a forward who could kill penalties and play multiple roles in the bottom six, Koppanen got the nod over players like Rutger McGroarty.

“The biggest reason, quite honestly, is because he’s played real well,” Sullivan said.

Koppanen carried that over into Tuesday’s game and earned a bump up the lineup.

He began the game as the left wing on the fourth line. And the 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward made his presence felt on the forecheck. He tallied a team-high three hits.

“I think as a winger, it’s a little easier to get on the forecheck,” Koppanen said. “That’s one big strength of my game, so I think I bring that better when I’m playing wing.”

And Koppanen was willing to go right to the net front, which he did on his goal. He outworked Adam Pelech for position in the slot and then got his stick on Vladislav Kolyachonok’s soaring shot, tipping it past goalie Ilya Sorokin — a former All-Star.

Sullivan liked what he saw from Koppanen early on and promoted him to the third line when he scrambled his forward lineup. Koppanen would log 12:55 of ice time, which was his highest total in an NHL game since he was with Boston in 2022-23.

“I thought he was solid,” Sullivan said. “I really liked his pace. I think he’s picked up a step. He played with good details, he defends hard. He was good on the penalty kill. Obviously scores a goal. It’s a huge boost of confidence for him. But I thought he was solid. We moved him up the lineup [because] we thought he played well.”

Koppanen was pretty pleased with how he played. He felt he was effective on the forecheck. And while he said he could have been better on the penalty kill, he feels comfortable in Sullivan’s system after spending 18 months within the organization.

“Yeah, of course. I know the system kind of perfectly right now so I don’t really have think about too much,” Koppanen said. “You can just let it go and play your game.”

Koppanen will presumably be sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton sometime soon, barring more injuries for the Penguins. He came in for Emil Bemstrom on Tuesday.

Koppanen provides the most valuable to the organization in that AHL support role.

Looking beyond this season, Koppanen will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Penguins will need to carefully carve out major minutes and key roles for the next wave of prospects to come through Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. But while he may not have an NHL ceiling, Koppanen is likely someone worth keeping.