Penguins About to Have Glut at Forward, a Lot Like Camp

What if the Pittsburgh Penguins could turn back the clock to training camp? While it’s unknowable whether a redo might lead to more than the nine points they have through 12 games, there is something on the horizon that might create an interesting atmosphere.

At a time when the team is trying to build off a 2-1 overtime win Thursday that busted a six-game losing streak (0-5-1), it looks as if the coming stretch of games and weeks could set up a nearly camp-like atmosphere with a glut of forwards pushing to secure spots in the lineup.

Of course, it’s not the same as camp — when the team was loaded with options at forward among the group assembled by president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas — because the Penguins in-season have to comply with roster and salary cap limits, which makes the coming stretch perhaps even more interesting.

As it is, the Penguins are still tweaking and tinkering with their forward lines, with several players used in various spots so far.

The latest wrinkle is an eye-catching one – Evgeni Malkin moving up to the top line on Sidney Crosby’s left wing, with Rickard Rakell on the right.

Malkin missed practice Friday because of a maintenance day, but he would seem likely to be available for Saturday against Montreal.

That “two-headed monster” as Crosby and Malkin once were called has looked effective the past two games – Crosby has seemed to awaken with five points, including the overtime winner Thursday, in the past two games; Malkin has been flying and had six shots Thursday; and Rakell has two goals over the past two games and ranks third on the team behind those two in points — but precedent suggests the two future Hall of Famers will eventually go back to centering the top two lines.

That’s especially true when top-six winger Bryan Rust, who is out week to week because of a lower-body injury, returns.

“Obviously, when we get completely healthy, we have roster limits, things of that nature that will force our hockey operations to have to make some difficult decisions,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “But that’s the nature of pro sports, and I think the internal competition is healthy for everybody. It should keep all of us at our best.”

In the meantime, there are several other situations among forwards that are ongoing or could become relevant, or revealing.

Jesse Puljujarvi, trying to resurrect a promising career after double hip surgery, and Energizer bunny-like Valtteri Puustinen have been in and out of the lineup.

Winger Michael Bunting has had a slow start, but he showed flashes of his gritty self against Anaheim.

Blake Lizotte, who got a concussion in a freak incident during the preseason when he was hit by a puck while on the bench, returned Thursday. He played 5:39 centering the fourth line in his Penguins debut.

Matt Nieto, who hasn’t played in almost a year and is recovering from knee surgery, is practicing with full contact. He is on long-term IR.

Vasily Ponomarev, a promising prospect acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade, was activated from non-roster IR this week and assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

And while touted prospect Rutger McGroarty has had a slow start at WBS, other forwards could start pushing to get a shot at the NHL level, including Sam Poulin (seven points in seven games), and Ville Koivunen (six points in seven games).

“Even if you’re not on the roster here in Pittsburgh and you’re playing extremely well and growing and developing your game in Wilkes-Barre, you’re in the conversation for being in the lineup in Pittsburgh,” Sullivan said.