A few rambling thoughts post turkey day.
Yesterday I wrote at fairly great length that our Penguins need to do something about the power play, which has been absolutely abysmal this season. Well, it appears coach Mike Sullivan is at the very least contemplating a shakeup.
At practice yesterday he separated our Two-Headed Monster, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, giving each their own unit. Radim Zohorna and Vinnie Hinostroza will join Sid, Erik Karlsson and Jake Guentzel on the top unit. Geno will skate with Kris Letang, Reilly Smith, Alex Nylander and Jeff Carter on the second.
To my eye, the new assignments make a ton of sense, especially on the top unit. Chief among our concerns are a lack of net-front presence, along with a lack of movement and puck retrieval. “Big Z” and the zippy Hinostroza could help resolve those issues.
Too, Crosby, Guentzel and Karlsson appear to have developed a chemistry, so it makes sense to keep them together.
My only concern? They’ll unintentionally or otherwise play three-man keep away with the puck and not involve the newcomers. But it’s certainly worth a shot. They can’t possibly do any worse than the “gangs-all-here” bunch we’ve been using.
A side note and another reason for shaking things up: Karlsson and Malkin seemed to bring out the worst in each other, with both prone to making risky point-to-point passes high in the attacking zone. A turnover waiting to happen.
I’m not quite as enthused about the second unit. Malkin and Letang obviously have plenty of experience playing together, but neither is known for their air-tight decision-making with the biscuit. Smith displayed great chemistry with Geno early on, but has faded over the past half-dozen games. Although skilled, Nylander’s an unknown quantity. And, big body aside, Carter very much has the look of a player who’s reached the end of the line.
Don’t Be a Jag(ger) Off
Sorry, just had to sneak in a little Pittsburgh-ese.
I was scanning the Baby Pens scoring list on HockeyDB this morning when I came across a most pleasant surprise. Following a slow start, rookie left wing Jagger Joshua (pictured) has collected a pair of goals and four points over his past five games.
While hardly prolific, for the type of player Joshua is, it’s definitely a positive development.
To review, the Michigan State alum stands 6’3” and weighs 196 pounds. Aggressive and abrasive, he employs a physical, body-banging style, which makes him a unicorn among black-and-gold prospects. He’ll drop the gloves, too, and acquits himself at least reasonably well when push comes to shove.
I’ve long felt the Pens could benefit from a player of his ilk, especially on nights when the puck’s not going in and the team needs a spark. And while the 24-year-old definitely has a long road to hoe (he’s on an AHL contract), it gives me hope the charismatic winger may one day crack the Pens’ lineup and provide a much-needed power element.
Harkins Returned
In other AHL-related news, the Pens returned forward Jansen Harkins to the Baby Pens.
Summertime pickup Rem Pitlick leads WBS with 11 points (4+7) in 16 games. Perhaps a future call-up candidate.
Following an extremely sluggish start to the campaign, Valtteri Puustinen has rediscovered his scoring touch to the tune of two goals and four points over his last four games.
Top goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist has posted a 2.15 goals against average with a solid .916 save percentage in 10 games. The Baby Pens are 5-3-1 with the rangy Finn between the pipes.
