Penguins Practice: No Sid, Penguins Lines & More Mike Lange Tributes

CRANBERRY, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and coach Mike Sullivan were expectedly absent from Penguins practice Friday. After all, each played a major role in the greatest hockey spectacle in over a decade Thursday night.

Sullivan undoubtedly earned a mid-day flight back from his hometown of Boston after his Team USA lost a heartbreaker championship game to Team Canada 3-2 in overtime at the Four Nations Face-Off. He arrived at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex about the time the team started practicing but too late to take part.

The champagne and anthem singing by the Canadians and Crosby probably lasted well past his normal bedtime, too.

However, in the Penguins lines was a larger story.

Typically, when a player is absent for a day, the Penguins will use a stop-gap in the line rushes, an extra player who would otherwise not play in that spot during the next game but keeps practice flowing.

For example, if Crosby were en route from Boston with the expectation of playing, Cody Glass or Danton Heinen might fill the spot. However, on Friday, the Penguins constituted four lines that looked entirely with a purpose.

Evgeni Malkin was the top-line center with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. Cody Glass appeared to be what might constitute a second line with Michael Bunting and Emil Bemstrom, while Kevin Hayes skated with sidecars Anthony Beauvillier and Philip Tomasino.

However, coach Mike Sullivan seemed to infer that Crosby could play Saturday, or he was at least optimistic that Crosby’s injury didn’t get worse during the Four Nations tournament.

“In my short conversations with him, he felt pretty good from a health standpoint. So that’s encouraging,” Sullivan said after practice. Crosby is officially a game-time decision.

The fourth line also looked like a fully formed line with Danton Heinen, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari. Matt Nieto was the odd man out.

–by Dan Kingerski

Lines, Pairs, Power Plays

So to sum up, the lines without Crosby looked like this:

Rickard Rakell-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting-Cody Glass-Emil Bemstrom

Anthony Beauvillier-Kevin Hayes-Philip Tomasino

Danton Heinen-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari

(Matt Nieto)

Boko Imama (injured, day to day) skated before practice.

The defensive pairings were more predictable:

P.O Joseph-Kris Letang,

Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson,

Ryan Graves-Vincent Desharnais

Ryan Shea-Vadislav Kolyachonok.

The top power-play unit had Karlsson, Malkin, Rakell, Rust, and Bunting.

The second unit featured Letang, Grzelcyk, Hayes, Heinen, and Tomasino.

More Mike Lange Tributes

There was an outpouring of emotion, a lot of thought and respect for longtime and legendary Penguins play-by-play broadcaster Mike Lange, who died Wednesday. That included Sidney Crosby. Dave Molinari’s retrospective is must-read.

Two of the Penguins’ longtime core players did not have a chance until Friday to offer their thoughts.

“That voice will always kind of resonate with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “All the players — Mario (Lemieux), (Jaromir) Jagr, Sid, (Evgeni Malkin). I was lucky myself to have my name called by him. He made it unique and fun and enjoyable to listen.

“Especially when he would travel with us, he kind of created a little of a bond. He tried to get to know you and tried to create some (dialogue) to get to know you, your family, to the point where you feel familiar with him, like he’s part of the team.

“Every time you hear replays of big memories … that’s his voice. It means a lot for this city and for all the players that have been in this dressing room.”

Center Evgeni Malkin was one who had a close relationship with Lange. He was part of one of Lange’s catchphrases — Make me a milkshake, Malkin.

“I think everyone in Pittsburgh knows his voice,” Malkin said. “He’s a popular voice in Pittsburgh. He’s a great guy. I know he was sick the last couple years. Tough loss for the whole organization.”