Dan Muse shook up the blue line for Tuesday's game here at Honda Center, scratching Caleb Jones and Harrison Brunicke, the latter being a move with long-term development concerns at the forefront.
Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba made their debuts as a result, skating together as a third pairing. With both being right-handed, Dumba was the one tasked with playing on the left.
Things went pretty well, especially for their first game together, in the Penguins' 4-3 loss to the Ducks. They were on the ice at the same time for a total of 11:31 at even strength, and in that time the Penguins led in shot attempts (17-11), unblocked shot attempts (13-7), shots (8-3) and high-danger attempts (6-0). The latter statistic was a big reason the expected goals share in that timeframe was a whopping 87.26% in the Penguins' favor. No actual goals were scored with them on the ice, which is really what one would hope for from a third pair that only saw one total offensive zone shift start.
Clifton led the Penguins with eight hits, half the team's total. He had two shots on five attempts, his four blocks tied for the team lead, and he had one giveaway. Dumba had three shot attempts, one hit, and was only one of three Penguins to be credited with a takeaway. He had the first penalty of the game, though not one that proved costly.
THE ASYLUM
Clifton, Dumba make debuts
Dan Muse shook up the blue line for Tuesday's game here at Honda Center, scratching Caleb Jones and Harrison Brunicke, the latter being a move with long-term development concerns at the forefront.
Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba made their debuts as a result, skating together as a third pairing. With both being right-handed, Dumba was the one tasked with playing on the left.
Things went pretty well, especially for their first game together, in the Penguins' 4-3 loss to the Ducks. They were on the ice at the same time for a total of 11:31 at even strength, and in that time the Penguins led in shot attempts (17-11), unblocked shot attempts (13-7), shots (8-3) and high-danger attempts (6-0). The latter statistic was a big reason the expected goals share in that timeframe was a whopping 87.26% in the Penguins' favor. No actual goals were scored with them on the ice, which is really what one would hope for from a third pair that only saw one total offensive zone shift start.
Clifton led the Penguins with eight hits, half the team's total. He had two shots on five attempts, his four blocks tied for the team lead, and he had one giveaway. Dumba had three shot attempts, one hit, and was only one of three Penguins to be credited with a takeaway. He had the first penalty of the game, though not one that proved costly.
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