VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Jason Zucker has scored one goal in the past 17 games, none in the past five.
Kasperi Kapanen has one in the past 10.
Sidney Crosby has one in the past seven.
Jeff Carter has one in the past six, two in the past 12.
With that kind of non-production from members of his top two lines, it was all but inevitable that Mike Sullivan would overhaul his forward lines at some point.
Friday afternoon, it happened.
He unveiled one set of personnel combinations early in the Penguins' practice at Rogers Arena, then reconfigured THEM later in the workout.
Precisely who will be together when the Penguins face the Canucks Saturday at 10:08 p.m. remains to be seen, but here are the units deployed during the latter stages of the practice:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Evan Rodrigues
Jason Zucker - Jeff Carter - Danton Heinen
Brock McGinn - Teddy Blueger - Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Aston-Reese - Drew O'Connor - Dominik Simon
Brian Boyle and Sam Lafferty were the spares.
"We're just trying to find more balance amongst the group of forwards we have, so we can generate more offense throughout our lineup," Sullivan said. "The last little while here, we haven't scored as many goals and, more so than that, some of the lines have gotten limited (scoring) opportunities, and that's the more concerning thing for the coaching staff."
The most striking change from the groupings used previously might be Kapanen's demotion from the second line.
"(Kapanen) needs to play his game," Sullivan said. "His speed is such an important aspect of his game. I think he's got to challenge our opponents all over the rink with his speed. When he does that, I think he's a very dangerous player.
"He tends to look to pass the puck a little bit more than we'd like. We'd like to see him shoot more often. He's got a really good shot."
Zucker retained his place alongside Carter, but described himself as "one of those guys who has to find a way to put the puck in the net."
O'Connor, who last played in the NHL Nov. 13, has been impressive at this level, and apparently will get a shot at playing center, something that was a point of emphasis during a recent stint with the Penguins' farm team in Wilkes-Barre.
"He needs to continue to grow his overall game," Sullivan said. "He's getting so much experience, whether it's here or in Wilkes-Barre. ... We're looking for guys who can help us win games. The way Drew can do that is by using his size and his speed on the forecheck, he can take defensemen wide. He has a bit of a scoring touch, so when he shoots the puck, he's helping us generate offense, if not scoring himself."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Tristan Jarry is expected to make his third consecutive start Saturday, this time against the team he rooted for while growing up. Jarry said his family had season tickets three rows off the ice, and cited Penguins alum Markus Naslund and goalie Dan Cloutier as two of his favorite players.
• Heinen said he often played against Jarry when they were youngsters in British Columbia, and that they actually were teammates in a spring league.
• Jarry, on his struggles against the Islanders in the playoffs: "That was something every player needs to go through. You have your ups and downs as a player. That can't define you. It has to be something where you're able to push back and persevere through. Being able to use that experience and grow from it, I think that's ultimately going to help me, as a player."
