Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan discusses what newly acquired players Dmitry Kulikov and Mikael Granlund bring to the team PITTSBURGH - It goes without saying, but the bottom-six group of forwards on the Pittsburgh Penguins hasn’t been good enough. Realistically, the Penguins’ third and fourth forward line have been abysmal and need to find a new level of play. It’s easier said than done, but it needs to happen if the team has any ambitions of making a deep run in the playoffs. [https://www.nhl.com/news/pittsburgh-penguins-capable-of-winning-the-stanley-cup-following-recent-deals-says-gm-ron-hextall/c-341799170] The additions by Ron Hextall should be help, but Mikael Granlund and Nick Bonino can only do so much heavy lifting. Jeff Carter, Danton Heinen, and Josh Archibald are all going to need to pick up the slack in the closing month of the season. Will the new additions add a much needed boost? It’s been a small sample size, but they eventually should. Consider who Granlund and Bonino replaced; Granlund is taking over for the role left open by Brock McGinn and Bonino is slating directly into Teddy Blueger’s position. McGinn went without a points for over two months, so pretty much any player would be step in the right direction. Sure, Blueger is mostly a defensive forward, but his offense evaporated almost completely this season. Bonino considered his scoring as ‘consistently inconsistent,’ [https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1632832053732311042] but at least he hit 10 goals on the year. 10 tallies immediately make Bonino the best goal scorer in the bottom-six. Teams that go far in the postseason have third and fourth lines that can not only play defense, but chip in offensively at opportune times. The Penguins should get a boost from Granlund and Bonino, but will need the familiar faces to push them over the edge. If the Penguins get the bottom-six rolling, they can be a real scary team full of game changers. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Possibly Showed Interest in Radko Gudas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-showed-interest-radko-gudas] Dmitry Kulikov Adds Competition to Penguins Blue Line [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/dmitry-kulikov-adds-competition-pittsburgh-penguins-blue-line] Dmitry Kulikov Expected to Make Penguins Debut Against Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/dmitry-kulikov-expected-make-pittsburgh-penguins-debut-columbus-blue-jackets] Sweeping Changes Needed for Penguins Power Play [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/sweeping-changes-needed-pittsburgh-penguins-power-play] Penguins Entering Metro-Heavy Schedule [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-entering-metropolitan-heavy-schedule] * undefined * undefined
