Looking for 'more sustained offense,' Penguins shuffle 2nd, 3rd lines
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ middle two lines were shuffled during practice Wednesday in Cranberry.
With Evgeni Malkin centering the second line, he was flanked by Jeff Carter on the left wing and Danton Heinen at right wing.
Meanwhile, Evan Rodrigues pivoted the third line with Brock McGinn to his left side and Kasperi Kapanen on the right.
The motivations for the alterations are pretty simple.
More production is needed from the middle-six forwards.
“Just more sustained offense,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Just more sustained play. I just think with what we’ve had here over the last few games, we’re not getting, in our estimation, enough sustained zone time that I think helps create the balance (desired). So we’re trying some different combinations to try to generate that. The good news for us is we have some versatility in our lineup where we can move some people from the wing to the center and vice versa in order to try to create some combinations that give us the balance that we’re looking for. We’re going to explore a couple of different options. Nothing is etched in stone. But that is something that we’re looking at right now.”
With forward Jason Zucker dealing with a core muscle injury that has bothered him since at least December, the Penguins already have experimented with Carter, typically a center, on the left wing of Malkin’s line and deployed him in that capacity for a handful of games in January.
In fact, one of Carter’s best games of the season came at that station. In Malkin’s season debut — he missed the first three months of the season, approximately, following offseason surgery to his right knee — Carter scored two goals during a 4-1 road win against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 11.
“I’m comfortable with both (wing or center),” Carter said. “I really don’t have a preference, to be honest with you. I played a few games with (Malkin), and things went well. … As far as I’m concerned, I’m comfortable. Hopefully, we can go out and kind of control the play (Thursday) night and have a good one.”
As for Rodrigues, he sees potential in his new line, particularly with regards to skating with the talented but inconsistent Kapanen.
“It seems like it will be a good line,” Rodrigues said. “I’ve had a lot of success with (Kapanen) this year and in the past. We work very well together because we both like to play a high-octane, fun, north type of game. (McGinn), obviously, is a guy that is extremely very reliable. He has a lot of offense that he shows spurts of. If we can just go out there and be confident with the puck, we should have success with the puck.”
McGinn’s toughness shines through
During Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime home win against the Philadelphia Flyers, McGinn missed just over seven minutes of game time during the third period after blocking a shot with his left hand.
After absorbing a slapper by Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler at 14:11 of the third period, McGinn retreated to the dressing room to have his hand examined.
When Penguins forward Jake Guentzel was assessed a tripping minor at the 6:47 mark, McGinn had emerged on the bench and was among the first group of penalty killers the Penguins sent over the boards to face the Flyers’ power play with the score tied 4-4.
After helping keep the Flyers’ attack at bay and putting the Penguins in position to win the game, McGinn’s mettle was lauded by Sullivan.
“He’s tough. He’s tough,” Sullivan said. “He’s just a gritty player. He’s a competitor. He wants to win. He understands that we rely on him in those situations. It doesn’t surprise me that he came back. He’s that type of a player. That’s what we knew we were getting when we (signed him this past offseason). He brings it every night. You know exactly what you’re going to get from (McGinn) every night. You’re going to get an honest effort and a guy that just plays hard. His willingness to put himself in harm’s way to block shots, it’s an essential part of killing penalties. It’s hard to be a good penalty kill if you don’t have guys that are willing in that regard, and he certainly is.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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