Shuffled Lines Paying Off for the Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins found success after shuffling the deck over the weekend.

Mike Sullivan held the Pittsburgh Penguins top six together through the first 64 games of the season despite the bottom six struggling to make an impact on the scoresheet. Who could blame him, considering his options to fill those holes in the top six?

With a few newer faces in the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins bench boss decided to make a few changes. He started Alex Nylander on the second line with Evgeni Malkin, bumped Bryan Rust up with Sidney Crosby, and dropped Rickard Rakell to the third line hoping to find a more balanced offensive attack.

Subsequently, Jeff Carter fell in the lineup, becoming the Penguins fourth line center, a role many pined for him to be in most of the season.

The changes made an impact immediately against the struggling Flyers as Rickard Rakell tipped in a Marcus Pettersson shot early in Saturday's game. Mikael Granlund also picked up a pair of points, including his first goal as a member of the Penguins.

However, the challenge was seeing how this reimagined forward group would stack up against the New York Rangers. While both teams traded opportunities, the Penguins edged out the Rangers in overtime.

Sullivan's shuffled lineup looked much faster and more potent offensively, scoring eight goals in those two games. If this weekend's performance is any indication, the Penguins may have a team that can make some noise in April. 

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