The Penguins' top line, quite literally, has done nothing but score goals with Rickard Rakell slotted into the right wing position since he was acquired from the Ducks at last season's trade deadline.
It's not easy moving away from the tried and true top line with Bryan Rust in that position for much of the past three seasons, but the decision that was made in hopes of getting even more out of the top line while balancing the top six as a whole has done just that.
Rakell's boxscore production ends at a lone secondary assist in the Penguins' 7-1 preseason finale drubbing of the Sabres here at PPG Paints Arena Friday night, but the effect he had on Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel to let them do their thing, as Mike Sullivan said following the game, was very apparent.
"I think tonight was Raks’ best game as well," Sullivan told me following the game. "I thought he played really well tonight. That line was a threat all night long."
The top line opened the game's scoring just over seven minutes in, as Guentzel buried a feed from Crosby after the captain took the puck away behind the Sabres' net:
Although Rakell didn't impact the exact sequence that led to the goal, his work on the forecheck, work along the boards and willingness to play through contact all played a role in the Penguins being able to sustain pressure and zone time which, in turn, led to the goal.
Don't get me wrong here, Crosby and Guentzel are an elite duo and will remain elite no matter who their third-wheel is, but just as I mentioned a moment ago, this all about maximizing your hand, if you will.
Here's the other thing, I'm not certain Rakell is an overall better player than Bryan Rust, but what I am certain of is that Rakell brings certain elements and attributes to that line that Rust simply doesn't, and those attributes are extremely complementary of the game that Crosby and Guentzel love to play.
"The thing that jumps out at me with respect to Raks’ game is his ability to make something out of nothing," Sullivan said.
On Crosby's first of two goals on the night, we saw exactly that from Rakell:
I mean, are you kidding me with that play? The way Rakell went from down-and-out to completing that improbable pass so quickly was reminiscent of a glitchy video game animation.
"You think the play’s dead — whether they run out of room — and he has the ability to stickhandle in such tight areas, and all of the sudden he comes out of an area with the puck and a little bit of space to be able to make a next play," Sullivan said with such admiration. "We’re sitting on the bench thinking, ‘OK, the play’s gonna die in that area of the rink,’ or whatever. ‘We’re gonna have to fight for possession,’ or whatever it may be. He can stickhandle in a phone booth. He can really make plays in tight areas and he tends to be able to make something out of nothing. And I think that’s the one element of Raks’ game that has really jumped out at me. That, I think, goes without saying, when he plays with guys like Sid and Jake, or even in the instances when he played on Geno’s line, I think when he brings that dimension, he just adds another level to that line that he plays on."
In 12:46 together as a line at 5-on-5, Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell scored two goals to none for the Sabres, out-attempted the Sabres 14-2 and controlled 100% of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. They also blocked both of the Sabres' attempts during that time, so Tristan Jarry didn't even face an unblocked shot attempt, let alone a shot on goal, when they were out there.
Individually, Rakell was the only Penguins skater that was not on the ice for at least one unblocked Sabres shot attempt at 5-on-5. Preseason or not, that's impressive considering his deployment.
Rakell isn't the greatest defensive player, but he's able to positively impact the defensive side because he does things that extend possession, sustain pressure, and keep the puck away from his own end. Some players just have a knack for being able to create positive sequences every time they touch the puck, and Rakell is one of them.
Another attribute of Rakell's that isn't talked about a whole lot is his physicality. He's 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, so he's not some physical force out there, or anything like that, but he absolutely still plays a bit of that West Coast hockey that was ingrained in him over 10 seasons with the Ducks. And that is something the Penguins don't have much of among their skill players.
From the time he was acquired to the end of last regular-season, Rakell threw 38 hits in 19 games, which was more than any other Penguins skater. Racking up hits for the sake of it isn't necessarily a good thing, but Rakell knows how to effectively throw his body around. And again, that's just one more item in his bag that opens up time and space for his linemates to get to work.
Combine that with how much of a threat he is to beat you with a shot of his own from anywhere, really, and it's no wonder why the Penguins' top line isn't slowing down in the slightest with Rakell rounding out the trio.
"They’re such a threat when they have the puck, just the way they pursue the puck," Sullivan said of the top line. "I thought their line, in particular tonight in the offensive zone, they just put so much pressure on Buffalo’s defense, and they’re hard to handle. They have such great sticks, they have such great anticipation skills, they just know where the puck’s going before it goes there. And they’re knocking pucks down and then they’re attacking, and that’s when they’re at their best."
Before Rakell re-signed with the Penguins this offseason, he said he felt like Pittsburgh is a place where his game can flourish. He's right on track to have his best season in years playing on one of the best lines across the entire league.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• I still don't know how practical it would be for the Penguins to have Ty Smith start the season in the NHL due to their salary cap restraints and the fact that Smith is exempt from waivers. Regardless, there's no doubt he enjoyed his finest day as a member of the Penguins on Friday and is making a legitimate case for the final opening on the Penguins' blue line.
The 22-year-old newcomer logged 17:16 of ice-time, attempted six shots, scored a goal and picked up an assist. While the goal Smith scored was heavily influenced by his shot being deflected by a Sabres skater the second it left his blade ...
... There's no denying his primary assist on Rust's first goal of the game was a perfect display of what makes him such an intriguing option:
Even before Smith got on the scoresheet, you could tell he was feeling it early on in the game by the way he was maneuvering the blue line and manipulating checkers' attack angles with his stickhandling:
"Every time you’re out there, it’s pretty much an audition, so I think this was another one of them," Smith told reporters after the game.
The Penguins were really having their way in the offensive zone early on, which is something Smith credited to helping him get his legs going and the juices flowing.
"As I go, it just kind of gets more natural and a little bit less thinking, you can kind of just play with your instincts," Smith said.
• All of us have been well aware of Smith's offensive potential since the second the Penguins traded for him. It's always been about whether or not he can shore up defensively to make the most of his offense. As good as he was tonight, his defensive impact remained suspect. He wasn't on the ice for the Sabres' only goal of the game, but his pairing with Jan Rutta surrendered more shot attempts, scoring chances and expected goals at 5-on-5 than the Penguins' No. 1 and No. 2 D-pairings by a hefty margin despite seeing less ice-time.
At the end of the day, though, all that matters are the pucks that actually end up in the back of the net, and the Penguins outscored the Sabres 4-0 with Smith on the ice at 5-on-5 Friday night.
• Evgeni Malkin had one of the more under-the-radar three-point performances you could have. I thought he played pretty well, and I continue to be impressed with how strong his skating looks right now, but it's been blatantly clear in every preseason game that Malkin is ready to get into some regular-season action. No further evidence is needed than Malkin, with no emotion or reaction to speak of, skating straight to the bench and sitting down immediately after Smith's goal, on which he picked up the primary assist.
• Rust's second goal of the game came in garbage time, an absolute laser with plenty of time and space. We've all seen this exact goal from him at least a dozen times:
I'm really interested to see if Rust's finishing impact improves a bit from last season, as he saw a bit of a dip from the levels he was at the two previous seasons.
Rust finished the game with a team-high six scoring chances.
• Danton Heinen scored an extremely impressive goal in tight early in the third period, but the dish from a falling Jeff Carter in the corner to find him at the net-front might be even more impressive:
I'll probably never run out of great things to say about Heinen. He makes a tangible positive impact at both ends of the ice and in transition, has decent passing skills, can beat you with his shot from distance and has the ability to do ... well, exactly what you saw above.
It remains absurd that Heinen will make $2.2 million fewer than Kasperi Kapanen this season.
• Crosby's second goal of the game was a power-play tally that was rifled in and out of the net so quickly it took the referees several moments to indicate that he actually scored:
Just like Rust's second tally, we see this exact goal from Crosby time, and time, and time again. And yet, going on 18 seasons, it never gets old seeing the captain like this:
Free picture book idea: Nothing but random stills of Crosby mid-shot. I'd buy it.
• The Penguins did go 1-for-2 on the power play, but they also gave up another goal with the man-advantage. This one's on Crosby, as he made the stretch-pass that turned the puck over before taking a pretty brutal angle against Vinnie Hinostroza racing toward the Penguins' end that put the Sabres on a 2-on-1:
That's a pretty valiant effort from Kris Letang to take away the pass while closing in on the puck carrier's space, but Hinostroza did a nice job of deceiving Jarry, as the netminder clearly expected a cross-ice pass instead of a quick shot upstairs.
The risks that the Penguins' high-end players take to create dangerous opportunities on the power play are inherently going to come with shorthanded goals against. Things always feel a little worse in that regard when the shorties happen in bunches, but I don't see this as some overarching problem at the moment.
• I'm still bullish on the impact Jeff Petry will have on the Penguins, but for now, he's continuing to do some pretty good things and ... some pretty not so good things. He made his presence felt physically, as he was tied for second on the Penguins with six hits, he made several strong defensive plays around his net and at his own blue line, and he also attempted this transition pass in the opening moments of the game that led to a somewhat dangerous chance for the Sabres:
I don't know how much that specific error has to do with adjusting to a new system, but it remains true that it simply takes some time to start feeling comfortable and confident in a new environment. When I spoke with Petry toward the beginning of training camp, he admitted that he would screw up, no doubt, and that his focus would be on correcting as he goes. He'd rather screw up trying to make something happen instead of not trying at all.
• P.O Joseph's future with the Penguins is pretty murky. Taylor Haase has more right here on how he continues to find the positives in a stressful and uneasy situation.
• Are you glad the preseason has finally come to a close? I know I sure am. The regular season can't come soon enough, and luckily we won't have to wait long as opening night is less than a week away. Thanks so much for following along with us through the offseason, rookie camp and now training camp and the preseason. We're very eager to get going on this season's journey with you.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at PPG Paints Arena:
1. Sidney Crosby, Penguins F
2. Jake Guentzel, Penguins F
3. Ty Smith, Penguins D
THE INJURIES
• Teddy Blueger has been out with an upper-body injury since last Wednesday when he left practice early and did not return. On Friday, Blueger joined his teammates for the Penguins' optional morning skate in a white non-contact jersey. This was following several days of skating with skills coach Ty Hennes before the group sessions. Sullivan said Blueger is making "significant progress" and that he's hopeful Blueger can participate in a full capacity ahead of the Penguins' regular-season opener at home against the Coyotes on Oct. 13.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan's lines and D-pairings:
Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen - Jeff Carter - Kasperi Kapanen
Brock McGinn - Ryan Poehling - Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
P.O Joseph - Jeff Petry
Ty Smith - Jan Rutta
And for Don Granato's Sabres:
Jack Quinn - Casey Mittelstadt - Alex Tuch
Peyton Krebs - Dylan Cozens - JJ Peterka
Anders Bjork - Sean Malone - Victor Olofsson
Zemgus Girgensons - Rasmus Apslund - Vinnie Hinostroza
Lawrence Pilut - Casey Fitzgerald
Jacob Bryson - Ilya Lyubushkin
Jeremy Davies - Kale Clague
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins have a scheduled day off on Saturday. They'll be back on the ice for practice on Sunday at the Lemieux Complex in Cranberry, 11 a.m. Taylor will have your coverage for that one.
THE CONTENT
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