Tommy Novak found instant chemistry with Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau once he started centering them.
It wasn't that long ago when the Pittsburgh Penguins' second line of Anthony Mantha, Evgeni Malkin, and Justin Brazeau was bullying teams.
Malkin was off to a great start, compiling eight goals and 29 points in 26 games, while Mantha and Brazeau were finishing the chances that he was creating. They were always buzzing in the offensive zone during the Penguins' fantastic start to the season.
However, Malkin got dinged up following the Dec. 4 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and has been out for the last month. He's expected to return on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, but during his absence, Penguins head coach Dan Muse put Tommy Novak in Malkin's place, and it was a great move.
Novak had instant chemistry with Mantha and Brazeau, and it's allowed the Penguins to run that line in multiple games. The trio has played 77:15 at 5v5 this season, and in those minutes, they're controlling 52.1% of the shot attempts, 53.5% of the expected goals, 52.4% of the scoring chances, and 53.5% of the high-danger chances. They're also +2 in high-danger goals for.
Novak has been super happy with his play between the two wingers and is trying to put them in the best possible position to make plays.
"I think they're big, smart players, so it's pretty easy to read off them. They're really good around the net, so just trying to put them in good positions to make plays, and I think it's been good," Novak said.
He also knows how hard it is to contain both Brazeau and Mantha around the net due to their size.
"Around the net, it's hard to contain both of them," Novak said. "If you see them, sometimes with smaller guys, you see them, but they're probably tied up, or their sticks are tied, and it's not always a good option, but I feel like you can throw them there (Brazeau and Mantha) and they're most likely going to get a whack on it or have body position. It's nice to have guys who can keep plays alive and also battle for position really easily."
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to make it six in a row on Thursday night.
That trio is expected to stick together for Thursday's game since Malkin was taking line rushes with Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov during Wednesday's practice. It makes for a very fascinating top nine as the Penguins go for their sixth win in a row.
The Novak line has been a blast to watch since it was put together. Let's see if they can keep the momentum going.
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