Lines, defensive pairings see big shake-ups
When the Penguins walked into their locker room Wednesday morning at their Cranberry practice facility, they might have thought coach Mike Sullivan had jotted down that night’s Powerball picks on the big white board.
After all, there were a bunch of unfamiliar combinations up there. 59-87-27? 28-58? 14-53-10? Further squinting would reveal that Sullivan was shaking up his lines the morning after the Penguins were shut out, 4-0, by a 35year-old journeyman and, at times, got outhustled by a speedy Carolina Hurricanes squad that, in the first 11 minutes of the third period, did not let them shoot on goal.
Some changes were expected, especially after Sullivan twice shuffled Sidney Crosby’s wingers in the second half of that frustrating loss. But this was the most drastic lineup overhaul he had made in a while.
“The reality is that we’ve had stable defense pairs and fairly stable line combinations for a significant amount of games. We’re 4-6 in the last 10,” Sullivan said. “There’s always that fine line between riding through it … or trying to affect a little bit of change or [inject] a little bit of urgency.”
Among the many changes were newcomer Nick Bjugstad getting a shot on Crosby’s right wing, Tanner Pearson being demoted to the fourth line and the Kris Letang-Brian Dumoulin pairing being split again.
“We had some injuries. Geno’s out, so lines are always going to switch. And we made that trade a week ago here,” Phil Kessel said. “They’re obviously going to change a little bit here until we get something going.”
Bjugstad, acquired Friday along with fellow forward Jared McCann, started off his Penguins career as the second-line center and showed offensive chemistry with Kessel in his first two games. But they had a quiet night against the Hurricanes.
So Sullivan got a look at Bjugstad on the wing. He is a “natural center,” in Sullivan’s words, but often played right wing for the Florida Panthers.
“He’s got great offensive instincts. He can shoot the puck. He’s shown the ability
to play in a top-six role,” he said. “He’s a very capable player.”
Sullivan indicated there was some hesitation to make this move now, with Evgeni Malkin sidelined. With Malkin missing another practice Wednesday, Matt Cullen was between Bryan Rust and Kessel on the second line.
With Cullen bumped up, Teddy Blueger centered the fourth line. Blueger had been on Cullen’s wing, scoring twice in his first four NHL games.
Pearson, who has gone nine games without a goal and has just one assist over that span, was moved down to the fourth line Wednesday.
“There’s always competition for roles and ice time,” Sullivan said. “That’s the nature of the business we’re in.
I don’t think we’re different than any other team. … We’ve always been a coaching staff that values that healthy competition among our own players. That’s what keeps us at our best.”
Sullivan also unveiled a new look among his defensemen.
For much of the season, Letang and Dumoulin have formed a dynamite top pair, with Letang having one of the best offensive seasons of his career and Dumoulin ranking among the league leaders in plus-minus rating.
They were not always together against the Hurricanes, though, and then they were completely separated. Dumoulin skated with Jack Johnson. Letang partnered with Marcus Pettersson, a lanky, responsible youngster whom the Penguins
have likened to Dumoulin.
“I try not to think of it too much. I just try to play the same way,” Pettersson said. “Obviously, playing with Tanger today was a great opportunity. He is a great player, so it was fun. But I don’t want to change too much.”
Olli Maatta and Juuso Riikola remained together for now. That could change once Justin Schultz returns to the lineup, potentially this weekend.
With the playoffs two months away and certainly not a sure thing for this talented by maddeningly inconsistent team, more tinkering could be in the works as Sullivan tries to find some winning combinations.