PHILADELPHIA -- After the Penguins surrendered their 11th short-handed goal of the season back on Jan. 28, Mike Sullivan hinted strongly that changes could be coming to his team's porous power play.
“I think we’re probably there,” Sullivan said at the time.
Well, "there" finally came for the Penguins on Monday.
In response to Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Lightning after the Penguins coughed up their league-worst 12th short-handed goal, Sullivan followed through on his word by mixing up his team's power play units.
During Monday's morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center where the Penguins will face the Flyers tonight, the first unit had Kris Letang and Marcus Pettersson manning the points with Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin up front.
Though he was non-committal to the units, Sullivan said it was obvious why he would make the move now.
The power play has not only become a liability, it's been sputtering of late. Despite their wealth of offensive talent, the Penguins have converted just once in their last 19 chances dating back to Jan. 19. That's a span of eight games. Other than bringing more of a defensive mindset, Sullivan said nothing has to change drastically.
"It's a little bit different for sure, but they have a framework and we certainly still have instinctive players on both units if we choose to go that route," Sullivan said.
Letang has been paired with Pettersson the past two games at even strength and says the young Swede should have some confidence after scoring his first goal of the season Saturday in Tampa. Letang hardly seemed surprised that Pettersson got the call to pay on the league's sixth-ranked power play.
"Putting two guys with a defensive mindset, we might not get caught leaning on the wrong side," Letang said. "We'll see how it goes."
With Pettersson joining the first unit, that bumped Phil Kessel down to the second unit where he skated with Nick Bjugstad and Jake Guentzel with Jusso Riikola and Olli Maatta on the points. Riikola and Maatta also took some reps with the first unit.
Kessel led the league in power play points a season ago with 42, but has been dogged by giveaways this season as teams have pressured him aggressively at his customary spot on the left half wall. It was his turnover that led to Anthony Cirelli's short-handed goal on Saturday.
"Whoever's out there, we know what we have to do and it's a matter of going out there and executing," Crosby said.
The good news for the Penguins is that it appears they will indeed get Malkin back after missing the last five games with an upper body injury. He'll be a game-time decision but is probable, according to Sullivan.
I asked the coach what Malkin's return could mean for the power play, but he said it's more than just that.
"He just helps in so many areas, the power play is just one aspect of it," Sullivan said. "He's such a dynamic offensive player. He's a threat most times when he goes over the boards whether it's 5-on-4 or even strength. He just makes our team that much harder to play against. When he's in our lineup, it creates matchup problems for our opponents."
As much as Malkin has been struggling this season, he still has 55 points in 50 games. Eighteen of those points have come on the man-advantage.
Though Kessel has been bumped from the top power play, he can take consolation in that he'll be reunited with Malkin on the second line, albeit as the left winger. Nick Bjugstad will play the right side. Kessel has played the right side almost exclusively but Sullivan said that there is an advantage for Kessel playing on the left on zone exits.
"He has the ability to take the puck on his forehand instead of his backhand and gives him the opportunity to make that next play," Sullivan said.
Though he's scored twice in the last three games and showed plenty of promise, Teddy Blueger would appear to be the odd-man out against the Flyers.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE COMBINATIONS
• The Penguins’ expected lines/pairings:
Guentzel - Crosby - Rust
Kessel - Malkin - Bjugstad
Pearson - McCann - Simon
Wilson - Cullen - Hornqvist
Pettersson - Letang
Dumoulin - Johnson
Maatta - Riikola
• And for the Flyers:
Lindblom - Couturier - Voracek
Laughton - Giroux - Simmonds
van Riemsdyk - Patrick - Konecny
Varone - Vorobyov - Raffl
Provorov - Sanheim
MacDonald - Gostisbehere
Hagg - Gudas
THE INJURIES
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, was a full participant in the morning skate but will not play. He's been out since Oct. 13 after suffering a fractured leg.
• Zach Aston-Reese, winger, out with a broken left hand, was also a full participant in the skate but won't play. He's been out since Jan. 8.
THE SESSION
• This will be the Penguins' first look at Carter Hart, the Flyers' impressive rookie goalie. It won't be Garrett Wilson's though. He scored one of five goals in Wilkes-Barre's 5-4 win over Hart and Lehigh Valley on Oct. 19. Wilson's goal was the fifth, coming with just over a minute to play.
"Hopefully, I can get one up here on him too," said Wilson, who scored the first of his career Saturday.
Hart has emerged as a Calder Trophy candidate after going 11-5-1 with a .926 save percentage and 2.45 GAA since being called up to Philadelphia in mid-December.
"I saw he's been winning lots up here and he's a really young kid," Wilson said of the 20-year-old goalie. "Looks poised and playing well. We played him earlier on in the year and got to him early. We've go to try and do it again tonight."
• Hornqvist is still on the top power play but he was bumped down to the fourth line during Monday's skate. He will likely play with Matt Cullen and Wilson. Hornqvist, who signed a five-year, $26.5 million contract last February, has gone eight games without a point since returning from a concussion. If he's on his line, Wilson said he looks for Hornqvist to play the same game he always does.
"He likes to get in there and get stuff started. It’s going to be fun to play with him," he said. "My style, too. We're going to get on the forecheck hard and hopefully generate some offense."
• Bjugstad reported no problems but said he did have to get some stitches to his underarm after taking a skate cut in the third period Saturday in Tampa. "Trimmed some armpit hair," he said.
• Matt Murray, who has taken the loss in each of his last two starts, will be in goal. In eight carer games against the Flyers, he is 3-2 with a .912 save percentage and 3.00 GAA.
THE OTHER SIDE
• The Flyers held their morning skate at their practice facility in Voorhees, N.J.
• A year ago, Philadelphia went 0-4 against their cross-state rivals in the regular season and then went out in six games in the first round to Pittsburgh. The Flyers are 1-0 this season against the Penguins with their 4-2 win at PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 1, but much has changed since then. They have a new coach (Scott Gordon), new GM (Chuck Fletcher) and, yes, a new goalie (Hart). Gordon was Sullivan's assistant with Providence in the AHL in 2002-03
• Thanks in large part to Hart and their power play, the Flyers are 9-0-1 in their last 10 to pull themselves back to respectability, if not the periphery of playoff contention.
“Big game for both teams," Claude Giroux told reporters. "They have some special players out there and they’ve been successful in the past. Maybe their record isn’t as good as people think it should be, but they’re a very good hockey team.”
• Philadelphia's top line with Sean Couturier between Oskar Lindblom and Jake Voraceck have combined for 30 points (13 goals and 17 assist) in the last nine games.
• Though the Flyers' power play is ranked 23rd and has converted on just 16.5 percent this season, it's has been hot of late. They are 8-for-17 the past five games.
• Across the parking lot, preparations are under way at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Flyers will host the Penguins in just 12 days for their Stadium Series game.
THE SCHEDULE
Faceoff tonight is 7:08 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center. The Penguins will have tomorrow off, before hosting Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Penguins team page for everything.
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