3 Things: 01.24.21 vs. Rangers

Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from the Penguins' morning skate ahead of their rematch with the Rangers on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.

1. Workflow
The Penguins made some changes to their forward combinations, as the first line was the only one that stayed intact. Jared McCann moved into the top-six with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, Teddy Blueger got two new wingers with Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen, and Colton Sceviour joined Brandon Tanev and Mark Jankowski.
Here is the workflow…
Guentzel-Crosby-Rodrigues
McCann-Malkin-Rust
Zucker-Blueger-Kapanen
Tanev-Jankowski-Sceviour
Dumoulin-Letang
Marino-Ceci
Joseph-Ruhwedel
Power-play units:
1) Letang, Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Rust
2) Marino, McCann, Zucker, Kapanen, Rodrigues
Tristan Jarry was the first goalie off the ice after morning skate, which means that he will likely make his second straight start. He got his first win of the season on Friday against the Rangers, turning aside 31 of 34 shots in Pittsburgh's 4-3 shootout victory.
2. Sullivan talks changes
If those line combinations do stay intact for tonight's game, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said the thought process behind them is trying to find the right balance and chemistry with each respective trio.
"We've kept certain line combinations together here for a little while, and we feel at this particular point in time, that a little bit of change might be good for the group," Sullivan said. "We'll see where it goes. .... My sense is that we'll probably tweak some of these lines here until we get what we're looking for."
Kapanen moved up to the third line after playing his first two games with the Penguins on the fourth line while seeing some shifts alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Sullivan said it's no secret that in the big picture, the objective is to get Kapanen with those two more consistently, but it will take some time to put both him and the line in a position to be successful.
"Kappy's trying to do a few different things here," Sullivan said. "He's trying to get up to speed from a conditioning standpoint. He's trying to acclimate himself in 5-on-5 play. He's trying to learn the style of play that the Penguins are trying to play, and my sense is that it's very different than where he's coming from. We're throwing a lot at him in a short period of time. I think he's making progress each and every day and we're trying to watch that process.

3. Rust keep shooting
Bryan Rust threw everything but the kitchen sink at Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin on Friday, firing a career-high 11 shots in the contest. And he was rewarded for his efforts with his first goal of the season.
Rust's 11 shots are the most by an NHL player in a single game this season, and are the most by a Penguin in a single game since Evgeni Malkin had 11 shots on goal on Nov. 28, 2015 versus Edmonton.
"The first few games, I wasn't really too happy with the way I was playing and the way I was able to create offense," Rust said. "So I think I was kind of just focused on moving my feet, and as a result, I had a whole ton of opportunities to shoot."
On the flip side, McCann didn't actually register a shot, but did score when his centering attempt from the goal line was swept into the net by Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren. It marked his first goal since Jan. 14, 2020, and McCann said it was good to get it off his back.
If McCann does end up playing with Rust and Malkin, Sullivan said they want him to bring his speed and shot to that line, along with the swagger he's been skating with since training camp.
"He was skating with a lot of confidence. He was shooting the puck, he was working hard, and those are good things to see," Rust said. "Obviously, if you do those things, you're going to get rewarded. And as far as him getting that goal, that's huge. I've been in a in similar circumstance and I know it can be tough on you and to see him get that I think it's just going to give him even more confidence. And he's just going to take it from there."