ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Sidney Crosby has been around long enough to know that power plays can cool down as quickly as they can heat up.
The Penguins have been so hot on it of late, though, it could warm up the frigid Twin Cities.
Monday night at the Xcel Energy Center, they converted on their lone power play chance in their 3-2 win over the Wild. Crosby's tying goal at 15:43 of the first period gave them power-play goals in three straight games, seven power-play goals in their past eight opportunities and, most impressive, a 5-for-5 tear through the first two games of their three-game road trip.
A year ago, the Penguins had not only the NHL's top power play but also one that converted at a franchise-record 26.2 percent, 1.2 percent better than the second-ranked Maple Leafs. Given that track record and the components of their top unit -- Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang -- why would you ever want to mess with that?
Well, Mike Sullivan hasn't messed with it. But he's added a new wrinkle to it and he has leaned on it more lately.
In it, Phil Kessel moves to the right side of the power play instead of the left, where he was so effective last season in leading the league with 42 power-play points.
On Monday, it worked to perfection again:
What makes it most effective is that opponents have to respect Kessel's wrist shot from the right circle. It's where he's scored most of his 347 career goals.
"He has as dangerous a wrist shot as there is," Sullivan said.
Opponents also have to respect Kessel's ability to pass.
"When he has time and space, he's as good a playmaker as there is in the league," the coach added.
And that's what Kessel did on Crosby's goal. He threaded a puck between the skates of the Wild's Ryan Suter -- a pretty fair defenseman, no? -- to Crosby at the left edge of the lower slot.
"He passes pretty hard, so you have to be ready," Crosby was saying. "You see on the power play goal, I don't know how he got it through. When he has the puck, you have to be ready at all times. He made it easy on me there."
When Kessel plays on the left side, he's more one-dimensional as he's usually been reluctant to use his one-timer from the left circle, like Steven Stamkos or Alex Ovechkin and other gifted right-handed scorers.
Kessel, who also scored at even-strength in the final seconds of the first period, matched his career best with a dozen power play goals in 82 games a season ago. He has seven already this season in just 39 games.
Sullivan seems to be alternating the look of the power play on a per-chance basis. Against the Blues on Saturday night, the first unit showed both looks on different power plays. It's hard to argue with the results. After Monday's win, the Penguins' power play is now ranked fifth at 26.6 percent.
"It's just a different look, a lot of teams are doing that, switching sides," Crosby was saying. "I think it just gives a different element, different dynamic on the power play. Teams scout pretty well now. So I think if you can add things and adjust and be productive that way, then it's to your advantage."
However, as Monday also showed, the Penguins can't rely solely on their power play because, well, different games are called differently. Against the Blues, they had four chances. Against the Wild, they had just one. And that was with Wes McCauley serving as one of the two referees in both games.
As Crosby knows, the Penguins' power play has been very good, but it's not invincible either. It will cool down eventually. What can't change is the mindset.
"You just try to remind yourself what gives you success and make sure you go with the right mentality," Crosby said. "It's good when it's going and gives us momentum, even if it's not necessarily going in. But if you're doing the right things, it will eventually."
But when it is going in like it's been the last three games? Look out. As a penalty killer, Riley Sheahan sees the top unit every day in practice. More than most, he knows how good that group can be.
How would he defend it?
"It's tough," Sheahan was saying. "There's so much movement. So many guys that are threatening. Everyone can score. Everyone can make plays. It's tough. I don't think there's much strategy, it's just a commitment to be on the same page and hopefully kill off the two minutes as best you can."
