Jake Guentzel and Teddy Blueger are both out for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Columbus, opening a new opportunity for Danton Heinen.
After a fairly dominant first four games of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be forced to play with an altered lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With both Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel ruled out for the Penguins, they will have to utilize 11 forwards and shape a different set up.
During a practice that did not feature Guentzel, Danton Heinen was the man pushed up to the first line.
Last season, Heinen scored 18 goals and 15 assists for 33 points as one of the Penguins biggest surprises.
Heinen has already gotten off to a solid start in 2022-23, with four points (1-3) in the first four games.
With Guentzel out and a practice on the top line under his belt, Heinen looks like the likely option to play with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.
“Not overthink it,” Heinen said following his practice. “Kind of play on instincts. Don’t pass up opportunities to shoot.”
Crosby knows that his new temporary linemate has a great shot, and it’s something that the two will try to use against Columbus.
“He’s got a great shot,” Crosby said. “He plays a pretty simple game. He knows the areas to go to score goals. We’ll just try and communicate and talk to each other and generate.”
Crosby mentioned that Guentzel is not going to be an easy piece to replace and it’ll take the whole team chipping in to help.
“When you get injuries you have to find ways to make up for the guys that you lose,” Crosby said. “We’ll try and do that collectively.”
All eyes will be on Heinen for the time being; while there is no time table set for a Guentzel (or even Bleuger) return Heinen looks like the player the Penguins will be turning to for first line minutes.
“He can find those areas to shoot the puck,” Crosby said. “Just want to get him the puck.”
The Penguins will play with a wonky lineup against the Blue Jackets and this will be a big test for Heinen.
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