Penguins
Penguins Game 12, Slip Sliding Away; Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Ducks
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season is slip-sliding away. The team is winless in six. Coach Mike Sullivan has scrambled, juggled, changed, and otherwise nuked his original lineup in favor of a top-heavy version, hoping to erase the cavalcade of monstrous mistakes that have cost the team three 2-0 leads in the last five games.
Thursday, they’ll face the Anaheim Ducks (4-4-1) at PPG Paints Arena. The puck will drop just after 7 p.m.
Almost one year to the day, the Ducks’ last visit to PPG was eventful. The Penguins squandered both a third-period lead and a last-minute power play. Mason MacTavish tied the game with 16:59 remaining, took a penalty at 17:41 remaining, then scored a breakaway goal as he exited the penalty box with 13 seconds remaining.
The Ducks won 4-3, and it was just a harbinger of blown third period leads by the Penguins.
For the first time in his 10-season tenure, Sullivan has united Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the Penguins top line. Of course, that means the rest of the lineup is a mix-and-match set of lines subject to quick and frequent changes.
The Penguins extended their winless streak to six games Monday (0-5-1) when they lost to the Minnesota Wild, 5-3. Crosby had three assists, but the Penguins again gave up goals in bunches after taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. The Penguins gave up a pair of goals in 2:27. Then an early and late goal in the second period.
One news item will be another change to the Penguins’ lineup. Blake Lizotte will likely return from his concussion protocol and join the lineup for the first time since an errant puck struck him while sitting on the bench in the preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 29.
Lizotte suffered a concussion and only recently received clearance. According to coach Mike Sullivan, Lizotte is a game-time decision. Based on line rushes at the morning skate, Lizotte will be the fourth line center.
Alex Nedeljkovic will start in goal. Nedeljkovic is 0-2-1 with a 3.94 goals against average and an .874 save percentage, which isn’t all that bad considering the Penguins are last in the league, giving up high-danger scoring chances.
Lukas Dostal is likely to start for Anaheim.
Pittsburgh Penguins Lines
Malkin-Crosby-Rakell
O’Connor-Eller-Puustinen
Bunting-Glass-Acciari
Hayes-Lizotte-Beauvillier
Defense
Grzelcyk-Letang
Pettersson-Karlsson
Graves-St. Ivany
Goalie: Alex Nedeljkovic
Special Teams
Penguins Power Play: 22.6%, 11th. Penguins Penalty Kill: 84.8%, 8th
Ducks Power Play: 13.8%, 26th. Ducks Penalty Kill: 75%, 23rd
Penguins Game Notes
*The Penguins have won seven of their last nine games against Anaheim (7-2-0).
*Sidney Crosby has multiple points in five of his last 16 games against the Ducks and 21 points overall during that stretch (7-14-21).
*Valtteri Puustinen has scored on each of his last two shots on net dating back to Apr. 17, 2024.
*Crosby has three assists in the 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. It was his 64th career three-assist game, moving him into a three-way tie for the sixth-most three-assist games in NHL history. He’s tied with Mark Messier and Ray Bourque. One more will tie him with Ron Francis.
How to Watch
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh; Radio: 105.9 The X
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With Rust out of the lineup and Bunting not playing like a second line level guy, this lineup can look brutal.
For the opening night lineup, when the top 2 lines are playing as we hope/expect, and you had success of Eller, Pulju, Acciari and Hayes in the bottom 6, THAT lineup could actually compete and surprise people.
It has been a fast and sad crumbling.
If I’m making up a nickname it’s Blaze Lizotte.
I like the idea of the two headed monster with Rakell. Eller flanked by DOC and Puustinen could provide some magic. I’m curious about Poulin playing 3C with 2 younger players on either side, you name them either Lizotte, Puljujarvi, Beauviller, Bunting, etc. But I think it important to reunite the 4th line of Hayes/Glass/Acciari. I also have to think the Pens could waive Grzelyck and call up Kral or Pickering. And roll LD with the following Pettersson, Kral/Pickering, Graves & Shea as 7 D.
Puustinen has never provided magic. He had 5 goals in 53 games last year. So I don’t see how anyone could reasonably expect that.
This lineup is really lackluster: essentially one true first line, a third line, and two fourth lines. Any combination where Acciari is playing above the fourth line is just unrealistic & speaks more to your organizational depth & development.