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Dan Muse tweaks the Penguins lineup as a key road trip begins
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Penguins hit a four game road trip with Ryan Graves and Dan Muse looking for steadier defense and a special teams punch in Seattle.
The Penguins are 22-14-11 and they are still sitting third in the Metro, but it feels like the margin keeps shrinking.
The latest swing came in Columbus, where a late Sidney Crosby goal forced overtime, then the finish slipped away again.
Dan Muse is answering that frustration with a small but telling move on the back end.
At Sunday practice he rotated Ryan Graves onto the third pairing beside Connor Clifton, with Ryan Shea coming out of that spot.
Graves is not a mystery player, he is a 30 year old left shot who carries a 4.5 million cap hit through the 2028 29 season.
Pittsburgh paid for size and reach, now they need the simple plays, first pass clean, net front firm, no free second chances.
Pittsburgh Penguins seek edge vs Seattle Kraken
This is the part where fans roll their eyes and say here we go again, because the Penguins have played plenty of decent hockey lately without getting the clean two points.
Still, the road is a good place to tighten habits when your bench is right beside you.
The matchup angle is obvious and it is not five on five.
Pittsburgh's power play is clicking at 28.7 percent, second best in the league, and Seattle's penalty kill sits dead last at 71.2 percent.
That should change how the Penguins manage the puck in the neutral zone.
If you keep entries controlled and force hooks and holds, you are basically turning the game into a special teams test you can win.
Clifton and Graves also have a clear job on this trip, survive shifts against speed without chasing.
If they can keep pucks to the wall and get quick exits, it lets Kris Letang and the top pair start more shifts going forward.
Monday in Seattle is step one, and it is the kind of game that tells you if the tweaks are real.
If the Penguins look calmer defending leads, the rest of the trip suddenly feels a lot lighter.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
An unexpected breakout is reshaping the Pittsburgh Penguins' forward depth
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 19|123 ANSWERS Dan Muse tweaks the Penguins lineup as a key road trip begins Do the Pittsburgh Penguins need Ryan Graves locked in for this road trip to work | ||
| Yes | 48 | 39 % |
| No keep Shea | 66 | 53.7 % |
| Special teams | 6 | 4.9 % |
| Goaltending first | 3 | 2.4 % |
| List of polls | ||