The Pittsburgh Penguins switched up their lines at the first practice following the All-Star break.
The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex yesterday to a full complement of players. With the team returning from the All-Star break and a couple coming back from injury, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan shifted his forward lines at practice.
The Penguins were carried by the performance of their top six forwards for the past month. However, Sullivan chose to once again swap Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust on the right side.
The top line has slightly better underlying numbers when Rakell plays on it with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, but the real change is with the second line. The Rust, Jason Zucker, and Evgeni Malkin trio have markedly better percentages of shot attempts (57.17 %), expected goals (61.70%), and high-danger chances (69.15%) at 5v5 when lined up together.
Sullivan also shook up the alignment of the bottom six in the first practice. The returning Kasperi Kapanen took line rushes next to Brock McGinn and Jeff Carter. Carter deployed as a winger for the final few games before the break.
With Carter back at center, Teddy Blueger rejoined Ryan Poehling and Josh Archibald to make up the Penguins fourth line, leaving Drew O'Connor and Danton Heinen as the odd men out.
The Penguins entered the break seeking more production from their forwards. We'll have to wait to see if Sullivan's line shifting helps spark that production against the Avalanche.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins