The Penguins’ first response to a rough night came in practice, and Dan Muse didn’t go scorched earth.
That’s the big takeaway from today’s line work: the staff is making adjustments, but not ripping everything apart after last night’s loss. Muse appears to be splitting the difference - enough movement to signal concern, not enough to suggest panic. And with the season still young, that’s probably the right kind of measured reaction.
Still, there was plenty to read into.
Egor Chinakhov remains one of the more notable talking points. He came out of the game without a shot attempt before the statistician later added a missed shot, and through three games he still doesn’t have a 5-on-5 goal.
He’s also managed just four 5-on-5 shots on goal. That’s a sharp drop from last season, when he scored 16 5-on-5 goals in 43 games with Pittsburgh and averaged just over two 5-on-5 shots on goal per game.
It’s too early to sound the alarm, but it’s enough to wonder whether his line is due for a shakeup. So far, the group with Novak and Evgeni Malkin has been the one untouched by injury or coaching choice, though that may not last long unless No. 59 starts looking much more like the player he was last season.
Nick Robertson also finds himself under the microscope after a costly sequence at his own blue line led directly to a goal against. He stayed in the game, but only for three more shifts over the final 13 minutes, and just one of those came with Sidney Crosby. That leaves the staff’s patience with the Crosby-Robertson experiment very much in question, especially since Robertson has been part of the camp and early-season setup with Crosby.
Crosby’s own line has been quieter than usual, too. He has only two assists in three games, and while there’s no reason to go overboard with concern, he is 39 now, not 29 or 19.
There’s been a little bit of that slow-start feel to his game, though he has also shown in recent years that he can settle in as the season unfolds. Even so, he looks like someone who could really use Bryan Rust back in the mix for speed, familiarity and chemistry.
The Penguins seemed interested in spreading the talent around when Rust was healthy, but that may not be the luxury they have right now.
Andrei Kuzmenko’s return from personal leave hasn’t moved the needle much yet. He’s been averaging 12 minutes a night, and so far he hasn’t done much to stand out.
Connor Dewar had an especially rough showing on Monday night, and the errors piled up. He struggled with the puck, missed multiple clearing attempts and ended up feeding pucks right onto Jets sticks.
That kind of game happens, but it also makes the depth conversation more interesting, especially with Filip Hallander and Elmer Soderblom watching instead of playing. Dewar wore the A in preseason, so one bad night shouldn’t turn into a full-scale overreaction, but there’s also a straightforward case for sitting him for a game if the staff wants to reward performance and send a message.
On the brighter side, Ben Kindel keeps standing out. Because the Penguins have only made modest changes to their top two scoring lines, he’s been spending more time with players such as Dewar, Blake Lizotte, Andrei Kuzmenko and Ville Koivunen than with Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell and Malkin. If the goal is to give the lineup a little more juice, Kindel’s place in the mix looks like a natural way to do it.
Practice made the picture clearer. Rust was not cleared for contact the last time the team practiced, but he did work in with a power play group today, which at least points toward a return sooner rather than later. If he’s cleared and the plan is for him to make his season debut tomorrow night in Washington, then Kuzmenko appears to be the player making room.
Robertson, meanwhile, has not earned much rope. His removal from Crosby’s line in the third period carried over into practice, and Hendrix Lapierre got the opportunity to jump up and skate on the top line, at least for one day.
Kuzmenko also slid down in the shuffle, which is good news for Ville Koivunen. He now finds himself alongside Rust and Kindel, a pairing that gives him a very good player and, lately, the team’s hottest forward.
As for Dewar and Robertson, neither was pushed all the way out of the lineup today. But if Rust is back tomorrow, the most obvious change looks to be Kuzmenko coming out to make room. For now, that’s the clearest sign of how the Penguins are choosing to answer a bad game: not with a total reset, but with a few pointed moves that say the message was heard.
In Other News...
Crosby And Ovechkin Get One More Penguins Chapter To Savor
Alex Ovechkins announcement that this will be his final NHL season gives every meeting with Sidney Crosby a little more weight, and the first of four remaining regular-season matchups between the longtime rivals now carries the feel of a farewell tour as much as a divisional game. For the Penguins, it also comes at a time when the roster is still in motion, with practice offering another look at how the forward group might be arranged around Crosby as the season wears on.
Bryan Rusts return is getting closer after he was a full participant in practice, a welcome sign for a Pittsburgh team that could use more stability and scoring touch as the schedule tightens. Even in a season that has already produced its share of odd side notes across the league, from the NHLs short-lived Hot for Hockey campaign to comeback stories elsewhere, the Crosby-Ovechkin chapter remains the one Penguins fans will circle first, because once Ovechkin is gone, these games will never quite feel the same again. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Suddenly Have A Roster Situation Fans Need To Watch
The Penguins forward group took on a different look this week after a trade with Edmonton brought in defenseman Spencer Stastney and sent Filip Hallander the other way. For a team still sorting out its lineup and trying to keep the back end stable, any move like that can ripple through the depth chart quickly, especially with the schedule moving fast and roles still being defined.
There is also a more immediate personnel wrinkle to monitor around Andrei Kuzmenko, who has returned from Russia and is with the club but will not play right away as he adjusts. Coach Dan Muse confirmed that part of the picture, and Bryan Rust is also a game-time decision for the upcoming game, leaving Pittsburgh with a little more uncertainty than usual as it tries to settle on who is available. [Read more 🡒]
Bryan Rusts Return Forces A Penguins Lineup Shakeup
Bryan Rust is back on the Penguins roster after being activated off injured reserve, bringing an end to the extended recovery from an upper-body injury he suffered in the preseason. His return gives Pittsburgh another veteran piece up front at a time when the lineup has already been shifting around, and it comes just as the schedule offers a familiar measuring-stick opponent in Washington.
The timing of the move also reflects a bit of roster reshuffling behind the scenes, with Pittsburgh making room by dealing Filip Hallander to Edmonton for Spencer Stastney. Rusts presence should immediately change the look of the forward group, and the next question is how the Penguins line combinations settle once hes back in game action. [Read more 🡒]