Shirey: New defense pairings a big step in right direction taken in Cranberry, Pa. (Penguins)

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Marcus Pettersson.

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins' re-tooled defense corps didn't quite get off to the start they had hoped for this season.

The first two games of the season went particularly well, but in the 10 games since, there's been quite a bit of inconsistency on the blue line. So much so that it felt inevitable that changes were coming to the pairings the Penguins have used for most of the season.

While there have been some in-game switches -- mostly, but not entirely due to the shifts that follow special teams work -- the Penguins' pairings have looked as follows:

Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Jeff Petry
P.O Joseph-Jan Rutta

Dumoulin's performance isn't the sole reason for the defense corps' underwhelming start, but it's certainly the most glaring. With him on the ice across 204 minutes at 5-on-5 this season, the Penguins have been outscored 12-9, taken 49.2% of the shot attempts and generated just 48.5% of the expected goals, per Evolving-Hockey. Of course, not every second of that time was spent on the top pairing with Letang, but a big chunk of it (148 minutes) was, and those results simply won't cut it in that role.

Despite Dumoulin being on the ice for an even-strength goal against in seven of the past eight games (four of which he was on the ice for multiple even-strength goals against), he continued to start every game alongside Letang.

Better late than never, the Penguins rocked new pairings during practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex here in Cranberry on Tuesday:

Pettersson-Letang
Joseph-Petry
Dumoulin-Rutta

With Dumoulin demoted to third-pairing duties, Pettersson and Joseph each hopped up a pairing on the left side. This is a much needed change. Even if things don't necessarily work out, these combinations had to be explored. The Penguins could not continue on with Dumoulin on the top pairing. They just couldn't. There's a lot of doom and gloom surrounding his game, but in theory, a reduced role against lighter competition should play in his favor.

Following practice, Mike Sullivan was asked how Dumoulin has handled his rough start.

"We all have high expectations of Dumo," Sullivan said. "He’s a great player, he’s a great pro, he’s been a great Pittsburgh Penguin for a long time, and we have high expectations of him. And no one has higher expectations of him than himself. One of the things we always admire about Dumo and his character is that he takes ownership for his own game, and he takes responsibility for trying to bring his very best, and there’s no doubt that I know he’ll work through it. That just, I think, speaks to the character of the individual, but we all have high expectations of him because his body of work as a Pittsburgh Penguin is impressive."

Certain or not that Dumoulin will work through his struggles, the Penguins are losers of seven in a row and currently rank near the basement of the Metropolitan Division. They can't afford to sit around and wait around for that to happen.

That's part of the reason why Pettersson, who was a healthy scratch at one point toward the end of last regular-season, as well as one of the names Ron Hextall was shopping over the offseason, is now on the top pairing. Another big reason is that Pettersson has arguably been the Penguins' best defenseman all season. The Penguins' 63.9% share of expected goals with Pettersson on the ice at 5-on-5 is the highest of any defender on the team, and he's been just as strong simply by watching him.

"Marcus has been one of our more consistent defensemen this year," Sullivan told me when I asked about Pettersson jumping up to the top pairing. "He’s had a real good training camp, he’s had a steady start to the season, and when Marcus is at his best, he’s just a reliable, trustworthy defenseman on both sides of the puck. We’re trying to find some combinations that we think will work for us, and so we’re exploring different options."

I asked Pettersson how it feels to have gone from out of the lineup not that long ago, to now getting work alongside Letang.

"Good. I think I’ve been playing well to start the year here," Pettersson told me before quickly jumping back into a team-oriented mindset, "so like I said, just gotta find something in our D-corps here and find a spark. Maybe we can contribute some offensively, too, but we try to play a steady game back there and give our forwards a chance to score some goals."

While Pettersson isn't the biggest, most menacing physical foe, he has developed into the Penguins' best defensive defensemen and, really, he's become one of the better chance-suppressors around the entire NHL. That's all the more reason to give him some run with Letang.

"Just lots of talking, I think," Pettersson told me of the key for him and Letang to find success. "We haven’t really played that many games together, but we’ve seen some looks throughout the games when the pairings have been shifted a little bit. But just a lot of talk. We know the systems … Communication’s gonna be huge.

"He creates so much offensively and the way he skates out of tough situations on the back end, it’s a privilege to play with, so it’s going to be a lot of fun."

Up until the shakeup on Tuesday, Pettersson spent the majority of his ice-time on a pairing with Petry. The two of them actually formed the Penguins' best pairing in terms of controlling quality chances at both ends of the ice, as their 62% share of expected goals at 5-on-5 together is the best of the regular pairings. That might come as a bit of a surprise due to Petry's less-than-stellar start, but I believe that speaks even more to how well Pettersson has performed.

Petry told me his game has been rocky to start the season, but he feels like he's headed in the right direction in hopes of a more consistent impact.

"Some ups and downs, for sure," Petry said of his first month as a Penguin. "I thought the first couple games I felt comfortable, and then that Western Canada trip was, I thought, a tough one for me, my game personally. But the last couple, especially that Seattle game, I felt good in that one. For me, just continue to keep grinding away. The system makes sense in that aspect, so it’s just a matter of finding that consistent game."

Petry now finds himself partnered with Joseph, who is playing the best hockey of his career right now after being anything but a lock to make the team out of training camp. 

"He skates well, which is good," Petry said about Joseph. "That’s one of my better assets, but a guy like him, he skates well, over the last little bit it seems like he’s playing a little bit more physical, which I think helps him on the defensive side of things. We did get that one preseason game together — the last preseason game — if [pairings] do come to fruition, at least you know what to expect."

Petry then said it will be of importance for the two of them to remain in constant communication with each other in all areas as they continue to familiarize themselves with one another's game.

"The communication has to be there on the ice, coming to the bench," he said. "Anytime you’re playing with a new partner, it’s important to be vocal on what you see, how they see it, and make sure that we’re on the same page."

My trip around the locker room concluded with a stop at Joseph's stall for a quick chat on his current performance and what it means to him to be bumped up a pairing after not being sure he'd even be with the team at this point.

"It’s a step in a good direction," Joseph told me. "It’s only 10 games in, so a lot can happen until the end of the year, but I think we all just want to perform at our best and try to help the team win as much as we can and getting to the postseason. It’s nice now, and if I can just bring my best game every night, that’s my goal."

Before departing, I asked Joseph about playing with Petry, and he told me he feels as if he has a "bill of confidence" playing with the 34-year-old, as well as that there's a lot to learn from him. Regardless of the combinations, though, Joseph said all seven Penguins defensemen (including Chad Ruhwedel) work together as a unit to try and bring out the best in each other.

Look, I don't know that bumping Dumoulin down and the other lefties up suddenly changes everything about this team. In a perfect world, Pettersson is a strong second-pairing defender and not someone you thrust to the top pairing. Although Joseph has been playing really well, he's still somewhat of an unknown at this level. There are immediate questions with the new pairings, but none of them outweigh the elephant in the room of Dumoulin playing a top-pairing role.

The bottom-six at forward is still a very real concern, and there's no guarantee Dumoulin's play will turn around even in a reduced role, but it is immensely encouraging that the coaching staff has recognized the problem and is attempting to do something about it. 

The Penguins have largely made their bed with this D-corps, so they might as well toy around with it until they find some combinations that work.

MORE FROM PRACTICE

Filip Hallander was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday and was in attendance for practice on Tuesday. He currently leads all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton skaters with nine points in 10 games, as well as a plus-seven rating.

"Filip’s had a really good start to his season," Sullivan said of Hallander. "He’s a very good penalty-killer, and I think that’s an important aspect -- that’s a dimension of his game that we think he can help us, and he’s had a good start. He has a lot of details associated with his game, he does a lot of the little things that I think add up to winning, and that’s what he’s done for Wilkes-Barre. He’s had a real good start to their season and he’s deserving of the call-up."

Hallander skated on the left wing of the Penguins' fourth-line during practice.

Jeff Carter, who has been out with a lower-body injury for over a week, participated in full at practice. 

"I’m feeling good," Carter said. "It was good to get up back out in a full practice and get some line rushes and whatnot going. All-in-all, feeling pretty good."

As for his status for Wednesday night in Washington against the Capitals?

"We'll see."

Ryan Poehling missed practice due to illness on Sunday, but was back out there on Tuesday without any limitations. He's also rocking quite the Movember mustache.

• Here are the forward lines utilized during practice:

Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Brock McGinn - Jeff Carter - Danton Heinen
Filip Hallander - Ryan Poehling - Josh Archibald
Sam Poulin - Teddy Blueger - Kasperi Kapanen

• The recall of Hallander signaled that Blueger might not be ready to go on Wednesday, as Blueger is currently on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. To accommodate his $2.2 million cap hit, the Penguins would have to clear cap space elsewhere, most likely by re-assigning Poulin and Hallander. It wouldn't make a ton of sense to recall Hallander just to send him right back a day and a half later.

Blueger's placement as the No. 5 center during line rushes on Tuesday pretty much confirmed that he won't play on Wednesday.

• Line rushes also suggested that Kapanen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday. He has been adequate on the penalty kill this season, but otherwise, he's been nonexistent outside of the first several games. He has gone seven games without a point and has only six shots on goal in that time. For the season, he has one goal and four assists in 12 games.

• The Penguins flew to Washington after practice. They'll have a morning skate there tomorrow, 11:30 a.m., then the puck drops against the Capitals at 7:38 p.m. Taylor Haase will have your coverage all day.

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