Penguins/NHL
The Penguins got a much needed day off on Sunday and returned to practice this morning at Mellon Arena.
The Penguins are playing the waiting game as they wait to see who their next opponent will be. Penguins would like to avoid Boston in the next round.
Practice Report
All players were accounted for this morning as the Penguins went through a 75 minute workout. The Penguins showed a strong emphasis
on defensive zone coverage and face-off coverage this morning.
One of the more interesting line combo’s during the D-zone coverage drills was Jordan Staal – Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin working as a line with Mark Eaton and Sergei Gonchar as the d-pairing. The staff used this combination on three segments and it appeared they were working on some sort of set play.
As always, the Penguins worked on the power play for up to 10 minutes.
Petr Sykora has been told he will be giving an opportunity to get back in the lineup but there are no guarantees that Bylsma will go back with him in game 1.
A source tells me, Sykora was told his practice habits and off-ice work need to improve.
Bylsma continues to speak highly of the way Miroslav Satan has played the past two games and I believe he will stick with Satan in game 1.
We’ll get into lineup scenarios later in the week as nothing was set in stone from today’s practice.
Penguins expect the second round to begin on Thursday.
