It seems logical that it's easier to keep a lineup intact when a team is winning.
A case could be made that such stability actually is part of the reason a team is having success.
Both observations seem to be rooted in reality, so it's no surprise that the Penguins, winners of their past three games, are expected to deploy the same lineup for the fifth game in a row when they face the Canucks tonight at 7:08 at PPG Paints Arena.
That includes starting Tristan Jarry in goal for the sixth consecutive game and the 11th in the past 12.
And while the Penguins enter each game with the same objective, Brock McGinn acknowledged after the game-day skate that stability among the personnel is an asset.
"Everybody has the same expectation, whoever's in the lineup," he said. "But having that (lineup be) consistent, I think everybody is really finding their chemistry and their roles with their linemates. We're doing a good job right now at just tightening up our defense the last couple of games, and that's leading to some of our offensive chances. When we limit their chances, it helps us out a lot."
One of the key to the Penguins' winning streak has been the strong play of the bottom-six line that features Evan Rodrigues between Danton Heinen and Dominik Simon.
"I like to play with them," Simon said. "They're both great players. It's fun to play with them."
And Mike Sullivan likes the solid two-way play that unit has contributed.
"They've been really good," he said. "The identity -- or some of the things they bring to our team -- is, they give us a little bit more balance, offensively," Sullivan said. "And they're conscientious, defensively. We use (Rodrigues) in so many situations. He's killing penalties for us, he can play on a power play. He can play the wing. He can play center.
"We've really liked him at the center-ice position this year. That's one of the reasons we chose to leave him there right now. We think that line, as it's constructed, offensively is a threat. All three of those guys have good instincts. Dominik is really stiff on the puck. He's good on the forecheck. He has a great give-and-go game. I think he can help that line offensively."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• The Penguins enter this game with the league's top-ranked penalty-kill, with a success rate of 89.6 percent. "We're just really bearing down," McGinn said. "We're communicating really well out there and have a real good focus on the systems that we want to play and what their team's looking for, offensively. We're just really dialed in right now."
• Sullivan said that Sidney Crosby, who shoots left-handed, and Jeff Carter, a righty, decide between themselves who will handle a faceoff when they're out together on a power play. "We have two center-icemen, a right-handed shot and a left-handed shot on our power play, and they're both capable of winning (the draw)," he said.
• John Marino leads the Penguins with an average of two minutes, 47 seconds of shorthanded work per game. His effectiveness in that role has allowed the coaching staff to reduce some of Kris Letang's penalty-killing workload. "Going into training camp, we needed someone to fill the void that Cody Ceci (filled), killing for us last year," Sullivan said. "(Marino) is a good defender. He's a mobile guy. He's got a long reach. ... He's done a really good job."
• Evgeni Malkin had an on-ice workout for about 30 minutes this morning, but was not involved in the game-day skate. Sullivan said the Penguins "have a ballpark of when we think he'll be available" to join the team for practices and/or morning skates, but declined to elaborate. "I'm always reluctant to put a date out there," he said. "Because then what happens is, if we don't meet that date, everybody speculates. It's not productive, from my standpoint."
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker-Jeff Carter-Kasperi Kapanen
Danton Heinen-Evan Rodrigues-Dominik Simon
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brock McGinn
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
Mike Matheson-Chad Ruhwedel
Extras: Mark Friedman, Brian Boyle, Sam Lafferty.
