Faceoff success certainly on Sullivan’s agenda

Just days remain until the puck drops on the Penguins season.

Typically, we write that sentence in a metaphorical sense. But for a second, let’s talk literally about the faceoff circle.

Last year, the Penguins finished 21st out of 31 teams, winning just 49.3% of their draws. Some in the hockey world downplay the significance of a faceoff, seeing it almost like a coin flip. Not so for Penguins coach Mike Sullivan.

“For me, anything that happens in a game 60 to 80 times is important,” Sullivan said. “It means possession vs. you don’t have the puck and you need to get it back. In the offensive zone, it might turn into a scoring chance or a goal. In the defensive zone, if you don’t win, now you’re defending against a potential chance.

“It’s an area of the game we know we can improve and get better. We struggled in the faceoff circle in certain aspects of our game, in particular on the penalty kill.”

The stats back up Sullivan’s assertion. On the penalty kill, mainstay Teddy Blueger won just 37.25% of his draws. The second center on the kill last year, Mark Jankowski, won only 37.7%. Then, when Jeff Carter entered the fold, he won only 40.74% with a man in the box.

Those numbers weren’t the only reason the Penguins finished in the bottomfive on the kill last year, but they certainly were a factor.

“I just think it’s such an underrated, important element of the penalty kill,” Sullivan said. “We didn’t fare very well in that aspect of it.

“If you can win the first faceoff in a penalty-kill situation, it goes a long way toward improving your ability to keep it out of your net. It takes an opponent 20 seconds to go 200 feet to get the puck. Then they have to expend energy to try to gain access to your zone.”

As the Penguins prepare to start the season without their top two centers, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, a number of factors will go into play when it comes to determining who fills those voids in the middle. Performance in the circle could be at least a small part of that discussion.

Throughout his career, Evan Rodrigues has won just 44.6% of his faceoffs. As of Thursday afternoon, Radim Zohorna has won just 46.4% of his draws in the preseason.

The other main candidate for one of those center jobs is Brian Boyle, who is still on a professional tryout but appears to be gaining ground. In 12 of his past 13 seasons, he has won more than 50% of his faceoffs. That included a career-high 56.4% in 201213.

As a bottom- six role player, Boyle will be earning many of his minutes on the penalty kill or on defensivezone starts — two areas when faceoffs are especially critical. That could be one small way the big guy helps his cause.

“That’s potentially an area where he could help us,” Sullivan said. “We knew that when we talked to him about coming to training camp.”

So what’s it take to have success in draws?

“There’s so much that goes into it,” Boyle said. “What hand the ref drops the puck with. What zone you’re in. What’s the time and score? Is it a power play? Is it a penalty kill? You may want to do a different move if it’s against the same guy to show him something different. All those things come into your mind.”

The biggest factor in winning faceoffs, Boyle said, is timing. He tries to connect with the puck right as it hits the ice, or even right before.

“You see older guys who usually progress in their careers because of that fact,” Boyle said.

Dress rehearsal

The Penguins lineup on Thursday in Detroit featured mostly young prospects or players fighting for roster spots. That will change Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. In the final preseason game, Sullivan said he anticipates a “significant” portion of the opening night roster will be in the lineup.

Injury, illness update

Zach Aston- Reese and Jake Guentzel remain out after testing positive for COVID-19. During Thursday’s practice, Danton Heinen continued to fill Guentzel’s void as the topline left winger. Michael Chaput filled in for AstonReese on a line that featured Blueger and Brock McGinn.

It is unclear at this point if either player will be available for Game 1 Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.