It has been a topsy-turvy season up front so far for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
New coach Mike Johnston has done more than his fair share of line juggling—partly to find the best complements for his two superstars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but mostly due to the explosion of injuries and illnesses that have rocked the Pittsburgh dressing room in the first half of 2014-15.
As a reminder, here's how the Penguins' forward lines were deployed for their opening-night win over the Anaheim Ducks:
Chris Kunitz
Sidney Crosby
Patric Hornqvist
Evgeni Malkin
Brandon Sutter
Pascal Dupuis
Nick Spaling
Zach Sill
Craig Adams
Blake Comeau
Marcel Goc
Steve Downie
Though the Penguins are getting healthier, Patric Hornqvist, Pascal Dupuis and Blake Comeau remain sidelined. They've been replaced by David Perron, Beau Bennett and brand-new acquisition Mark Arcobello.
As Johnston begins to turn his focus toward preparing his team for the playoffs, he's bound to keep tinkering with combinations and adjusting to suit game situations, as he did during Friday's loss to the New York Islanders.
Based on the combinatio ...
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Article written by Carol Schram
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