Without Sidney Crosby, Penguins try numerous lineups to varying levels of success
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� The loss of Sidney Crosby has forced Penguins coach Mike Sullivan to experiment.
The trickle-down effect of Crosby being lost for the Penguins无毛视频� 3-2 Game 4 Eastern Conference semifinals win over the Capitals and likely longer due to a concussion he suffered in Game 3 is that Sullivan has had to try new lineups in even-strength play and on the power play. The several lines and combinations that he tried had varying levels of success.
The Penguins, by and large, were not at their best offensively on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena, putting only 18 shots on goal and attempting 39 in total. The original lines that Sullivan tried are as follows: Evgeni Malkin was paired with Chris Kunitz and Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino was surrounded by Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, Matt Cullen was flanked by Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist and Carter Rowney played with Scott Wilson and Tom Kuhnhackl.
Those lines, of course, changed heavily throughout the course of the game.
无毛视频淎 lot of it was reaction to certain matchups we were looking for on the bench,无毛视频� Sullivan said.
Of those originally conceived lines, it appears that Hornqvist无毛视频檚 line has a chance to stick, based on performance. Hornqvist scored the first goal of the game on a breakaway assisted by Cullen and Olli Maatta. According to naturalstattrick.com, Hornqvist无毛视频檚 Corsi 无毛视频� a stat that measures all attempted shots, even those that are blocked and miss that net 无毛视频� was five in five on five play with Cullen. It also was five with Hagelin. That无毛视频檚 not coincidental, as Hornqvist played 8:52 with Cullen and 3:31 with Hagelin in five and five. But Hornqvist played minutes with other players 无毛视频� notably 6:49 with Guentzel 无毛视频� and his Corsi with him was just one.
The Penguins无毛视频� first line, too, appears fairly stable based on Game 4. Malkin spent 11:31 on the ice in five on five with Kessel and 10:28 with Kunitz. The most minutes he played with any forward in five on five after that was 1:46 with Hornqvist. Though the game didn无毛视频檛 yield any goals for Malkin or Kessel, Sullivan likes the combination of the two, and Kunitz, at this point, appears to be the most likely player to play with them going forward.
无毛视频淲hen (Malkin and Kessel are) together and they无毛视频檙e playing well, they can be very dynamic and they can change a game,无毛视频� Sullivan said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 something that无毛视频檚 always in the back of my mind.无毛视频�
The Penguins无毛视频� second line looks to be very much in flux. Bonino spent 9:15 with Rust and 5:31 with Guentzel in five on five, but also played with Kuhnhackl for 3:37 and 2:24 with Hagelin. Guentzel 无毛视频� who originally for the game was slotted with Bonino and Rust 无毛视频� spent his most five on five minutes with other forwards, playing 6:49 with Hornqvist and 5:46 with Cullen. Guentzel scored a goal, and his Corsi was 3 with Bonino as well as Rust. It was one with Hornqvist and zero with Cullen. Guentzel is a malleable piece due to his skill set, so it无毛视频檚 not surprising that Sullivan tried him in different lineups.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a guy that finds ways to have success regardless of who we put him with. He has a complete game,无毛视频� Sullivan said. 无毛视频淛ake无毛视频檚 a guy that无毛视频檚 a real smart player that has the ability to adapt his game based on circumstances.无毛视频�
How the Penguins无毛视频� lineups continue to develop will be very much game-based, as well as success-based. Without Crosby, Sullivan has to be even more open than his already open-minded self towards mixing and matching.{
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a game-to-game thing, depending on what our injury status looks like, who无毛视频檚 banged up, who think is playing well and who is available to us,无毛视频� Sullivan said. 无毛视频漌e无毛视频檙e trying to make those decisions game to game and sometimes we make adjustments during the game based on what we see.无毛视频�
There are, though, already existing combinations that Sullivan already knows work. The first power play unit, outside of replacing Crosby, stayed the same. Though removing Crosby took out a big piece, there is already familiarity between those on the power play. The first look at the unit in Game 3 sans Crosby yielded little success 无毛视频� the Penguins were 0-5 on the power play 无毛视频� but in Game 4, the power play went 1-3. That one goal 无毛视频� a Schultz one-timer off a Malkin feed 无毛视频� was the difference in the game.
无毛视频滻 thought we had some good looks tonight (on the power play),无毛视频� Schultz said. 无毛视频淥bviously we were able to get that one goal.无毛视频�
Goals and scoring chances like Schultz无毛视频檚 and Hornqvist无毛视频檚 will provide tangible proof of what lineups are working and what aren无毛视频檛. As Sullivan evaluates those moments, the lines are sure to be flexible, with or without Crosby.
Sullivan confirmed Thursday that Crosby skated at the Penguins无毛视频� practice rink in Cranberry Township but offered no information on a possible return.