'Sid and the Kids' Are All Grown Up

The line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary became the toast of the town as they helped the Penguins capture the Stanley Cup in 2017.

"Obviously my first year we had a lot of fun playing together," Guentzel reminisced back in June. "It was kind of cool that 'Sid and the Kids' got a little name going around. I've thought about it. It would be an awesome experience again. We really feed off each other, know each others' games. Hopefully we'll get some time to get that chemistry back … and in Phase 2, Phase 3 and the playoffs we can do that. Hopefully we can make another run for it."

Three years later, they're looking to do more of the same - except Guentzel and Sheary aren't necessarily Kids anymore. Back then, Guentzel was a 21-year-old rookie while Sheary was in just his second NHL season. So what makes their reunion so exciting is how the two wingers have grown and developed since they last played together.

"It's been good," Crosby said. "I think both of them can play any type of game, whether it's up and down or it's a tight-checking game. They can play at both ends and play it well."

Penguins fans have seen that maturation process firsthand with Guentzel, who has played alongside Crosby that entire time when both players are healthy. When he made his memorable NHL debut on Nov. 21, 2016, Guentzel was so nervous that he was holding onto cold water bottles to keep his hands from sweating - and he was just a rookie when the Penguins ended up winning that season.

But as he's matured into one of the elite players in the league, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said the biggest difference between now and then is that Guentzel - now 25 - knows his place in the locker room, and the quiet confidence he always possessed has manifested.

"When he first came into the league, he listened more than he spoke," Sullivan said. "And I think as he gained experience and has had some success in this league, I think his voice has become a little bit stronger. I think now he has the confidence level to be able to share his opinion with his teammates and the coaching staff and knows the importance of his voice in trying to help this team be the best it can be."

Meanwhile, Sheary's maturation process happened with another organization after the Penguins traded him and Matt Hunwick to Buffalo in the summer of 2018 in order to clear up some cap space.

Sheary called it a luxury to be on two different teams in two different situations early in his career. The Penguins were already a contender when he first joined the organization, whereas the Sabres are a young team that's rebuilding, and having those varying perspectives was beneficial to him.

"I do think Conor's a better player right now than he was when he first came up," Sullivan said. "He's got more experience; he's had more opportunity to figure out this league and how to be successful. He's played on a different team now in different circumstances. All of those experiences I think help a player. They're learning opportunities for him."

Now 28, Sheary is older and wiser, but still possesses the same core strengths that make him a complementary player to Crosby and Guentzel. That was evident on the goal he scored in Pitttsburgh's lone exhibition game, a 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, which was really a group effort by the trio.

"All three guys were instrumental on that goal," Sullivan said. "That's what they're capable of. They have that quick-strike capability."

It began when rookie defenseman John Marino made a perfect outlet pass to Guentzel as he was flying through the neutral zone. As he carried into the offensive zone, Crosby executed a center drive, leaving a passing lane open for Guentzel. Sheary opened up to catch the pass, put it on his forehand and absolutely sniped a shot into the far corner.

"His tight-area skills are one of his biggest strengths, his quickness and his ability to force turnovers with his puck pursuit game is a big strength of his, and he has finishing ability," Sullivan said. "He can score when he gets the puck in the scoring areas. For all those reasons, we think he's a guy that can really play the Penguins hockey that we're trying to play, and he's just picking up where he left off when we had him in the past."

Of course, it is just one game. And to be fair to Guentzel, he's coming off a much longer layoff than everyone else, as that marked his first game action since undergoing shoulder surgery on New Year's Eve. But Sullivan is confident that Guentzel will improve with time as he becomes more comfortable with his timing and details. Especially since no one is better at this time of year than Guentzel, who has 24 goals in 41 career playoff games.

And Sullivan also thinks the line will improve with time - albeit not much of it.

"I don't think they need a lot of time to establish chemistry," Sullivan said. "I think they're very familiar with one another. They've played a fair amount together. And we think they'll just get better with time."