Within the first 10 games of the regular season, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and teammate Evgeni Malkin saw some time together five-on-five when the situation called for it.
Typically, this occurs after icing calls or a penalty kill, since neither player is on the ice in the latter situation, and the Penguins seek some offensive momentum. More recently - in the midst of their active five-game losing streak - they have been deployed together at any point in the game, and, especially, late, when the team needs a jolt on offense.
But, for the first time, it appears that they might share a line at puck drop on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
During practice on Monday in Pittsburgh, the Penguins featured a line with their three best offensive players - Crosby, Malkin, and Rickard Rakell - all skating together. In general, the lines were, once again, put in a blender up and down the lineup.
Here were the full lines and defensive pairings at practice:
Putting Malkin with Crosby and Rakell is - more than likely - not a long-term winning strategy. It's a move of desperation. This makes sense in the short-term, as the Penguins are certainly desperate to win hockey games right now.
Head coach Mike Sullivan is willing to try anything if it helps them win hockey games.
"They're pretty dynamic players," Sullivan said. "We're trying different combinations to see if we can create a spark for the group. We've had a number of different combinations here the first little while in the early part of the season, and given the circumstance we're in and where we are right now, we thought we'd give it a try in practice today and see what it looked like."
He continued: "Obviously, they're generational talents. Both of them. When they're potentially out there on the ice at the same time, that could pose a particular threat."
Sullivan also mentioned that he has put Malkin and Crosby together with more frequency in the first part of the 2024-25 season than he ever has, and with the Penguins' deficiencies in the top-six on offense, they are in a position where they need to generate more momentum offensively.
Rakell has four goals and six points, and Malkin has three goals and 14 points. But, outside of those two, the top-six regulars in Bryan Rust, Crosby, and Michael Bunting have combined for just four goals and 12 points.
"I mean, whatever is going to translate into wins," Crosby said. "It think that's whatever the combinations are. So, yeah, I don't think we change anything other than, hopefully, with losing some here, we find another level of desperation, urgency, and find a way to get back in the win column."
