NEW YORK -- In the Penguins' dressing room, Tanner Pearson sits in the middle of one of the NHL's more intriguing mini-dramas.
The left winger was chuckling the other day as he looked over each shoulder, pointing out that his stall is in between those for Derick Brassard and Phil Kessel. As he was speaking, his linemates' still-wet gear hung from hooks but both the occupants were long gone before the media entered the room.
Pearson is the youngest member of the Penguins' third line, a trio which has been together for a few weeks, but also the only one who speaks for it.
After registering an assist vs. Detroit last week, Pearson was lamenting that the line hadn't scored more. After playing the first six seasons of his career in the West, he'd only see Kessel up close twice a season. But after getting to know him and see him ply his trade, he's been duly impressed.
"He's definitely a character," Pearson mused of Kessel. "But he's definitely an all-world talent."
After a stint on the second line, where he scored three goals in his first six games since coming over from the Kings in the Carl Hagelin trade, Pearson has cooled off considerably. He has just one goal in the last 17 games.
"He's good in traffic, good in the net-front," Mike Sullivan was saying of Pearson's role. "When you have Brass and Phil, who are two pretty good playmakers that can shoot the puck with offensive instincts, not that Pears doesn't, he does, but the element he really brings to that line is his ability to be good down in the corners, in the battle areas and, most specifically, the net front. When the puck goes to the net, we encourage him to be there and make a goalie's night difficult."
In the three games following the Christmas break, Kessel has arguably been the Penguins' best player. Along with Sidney Crosby, he's certainly been their most prolific. Both sit in the top 17 in league scoring but Kessel is the only one who currently plays in the bottom six.
Kessel has registered three points in each of the Penguins' wins over the Red Wings, Blues and Wild. Of those nine points, six have come on the power play.
Two of Kessel's three points at even strength came in Saturday night's 3-2 win in St. Paul.
He scored this goal with 21 seconds remaining in the first period:
Note the strong work on the forecheck by Zach Aston-Reese to force the turnover, Crosby's initial shot and then Kessel jamming it in off of Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk. And you'll also note that neither Aston-Reese nor Crosby are Kessel's linemates. Kessel was simply stuck on the ice after Brassard and Pearson went for a change.
Later, Kessel picked up this assist, making a terrific pass in traffic to set up Riley Sheahan's wicked wrist shot at 10:19 of the second period:
You'll also note that Matt Cullen and Sheahan are also not Kessel's linemates. Kessel had been paired with Cullen during a 4-on-4 after Aston-Reese and Marcus Foligno were sent off for coincidental roughing penalties. Sheahan joined the rush after jumping on the ice.
To review, the Penguins have scored 11 goals over the past three games and only one of them has come with Kessel, Brassard and Pearson all on the ice. That goal came last Thursday against the Red Wings when Kessel got a pass through Trevor Daley and Brassard redirected it off his skates:
Other than that, Brassard and Kessel have shown precious little chemistry together. Take, for example, the first period of Saturday night's win over the Wild.
Here, just two minutes in, is Brassard got the puck in the Pittsburgh zone but failed to find Kessel at the far blue line for a potential breakaway. It did set up a 2-on-1 but Kessel failed to get a cross-ice pass over to Brassard:
Then, there was Brassard on a high-cycle with Kris Letang just moments later. With Kessel alone at the right circle, his wheelhouse, Brassard throws a 60-foot wrist shot from the top of the point that Dubnyk easily turned aside:
The advanced metrics on the line haven't been promising either.
Against the Red Wings, Brassard and Kessel had a Corsi For percentage of 41.67. Against the Blues that percentage was 25.00. Against the Wild, it was 40.00.
When Brassard, Kessel and Pearson have been on the ice for their 48:01 together this season, their Corsi For percentage is 37.25. Most damning, they've given up twice as many high-danger scoring chances against (12) as they have high-danger chances for (6).
On paper, that line should be good. The talent and experience are clearly there. They have played a combined 2,047 NHL games and have 1,379 points between the three of them. Whatever the reasons, it hasn't worked.
Had his team not won six games in a row and eight of the last nine, Sullivan likely would have had nixed that line by now. But the Penguins aren't going to be able to keep up that pace for another 40-plus games.
At some point, the third line -- regardless of who is on it -- has to produce.
Obviously, Sullivan would prefer to keep Kessel and the slumping Evgeni Malkin on separate lines but he's not married to it. Sullivan puts his players in the best position to succeed. With Kessel, for now, that's not with Brassard.
• After spending Monday night in the Twin Cities to ring in the New Year, the Penguins cancelled their scheduled practice for Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The Penguins will hold a full morning skate Wednesday before taking on the Rangers later that night.