Bylsma wants to see more of Crosby-Staal combo

NEWARK, N.J. -- Penguins coach Dan Bylsma liked what Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal looked like together on the same line Thursday night. Now he wants to see more of it starting Saturday against the Devils at Prudential Center.

"I'd like to see it a handful of times," said Bylsma, whose team is going for its 11th straight win. "Depending on how the game goes, depending on what matchups they're striving to get, that will maybe depend on how many times we're able to do that. But, I'd like to continue to see them get chances to play together and what that is going to look like."

Crosby played on Staal's wing for three shifts in the second half of a 5-2 win Thursday over the Rangers. They did not produce any points, but Bylsma said he liked how the dynamic looked with Staal using his big body to make plays in the defensive zone and Crosby able to read off that to get up the ice quickly.

Bylsma couldn't recall a time before that Crosby and Staal played together at even strength.

"The one thing that you see with Jordan is his ability to end plays in the defensive zone, and it's not that hard to tell when that is coming so as a winger out there with Jordan you can take advantage of that situation," Bylsma said. "You know he's going to win a puck and then you can read off that. That's something we talked about in the summer time and watching it this year it's even more evident from upstairs (in the press box) that being the case. Being the winger allows you the ability to get some speed and get to an area if that is going to be a case."

Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start opposite Martin Brodeur. Bylsma would not say if Fleury is also going to start Sunday in Philadelphia. Fleury has won nine straight starts and has 38 wins this season.

The Penguins will have to play without Arron Asham, who missed practice Friday because he was sick. Eric Tangradi will likely draw into the lineup for his size and toughness on the fourth line.

The Devils are 7-1 against the Penguins at Prudential Center in the last three seasons. This is the final time they will play host to Pittsburgh this season.

Bylsma touched on Pittsburgh's struggles here in New Jersey.

"I really think maybe more than any other team at any other place it's been our inability to maintain poise in playing the way we need to play, the way we want to play," he said. "I think we've been frustrated and gotten off our games at times in the last three years here. Really that's something we pride ourselves in as our trademark, playing the same way no matter where we are. This is one team we've been really unable to do that against."

Here are the expected lines and defensive pairings for the Saturday matinee:

DEVILS

Zach Parise - Adam Henrique - Ilya Kovalchuk
Petr Sykora - Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jacob Josefson - David Clarkson
Steve Bernier - Ryan Carter - Cam Janssen

Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Bryce Salvador - Marek Zidlicky
Anton Volchenkov - Adam Larsson

PENGUINS

Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Steve Sullivan - Jordan Staal - Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke - Sidney Crosby - Tyler Kennedy
Craig Adams - Joe Vitale - Eric Tangradi

Kris Letang - Paul Martin
Zbynek Michalek - Brooks Orpik
Deryk Engelland - Matt Niskanen

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl