http://www.montrealgazette.com
April 2, 2013
PITTSBURGH — The talk is not of the new guy, Jarome Iginla, in the room, but of an old reliable, Sidney Crosby, who isn’t.
“I don’t sense there’s any type of heads down in the room or that type of situation,” said Pittsburgh Penguins’ coach Dan Bylsma, as his group prepares once again to cope without their captain and emotional catalyst. “There’s capable guys in the room. We’ve seen that in the absence of Paul Martin. We’ve seen that in the absence of Kris Letang.
“We have guys ready to go. We saw that last game and we’ll see it going forward.”
Crosby, as anyone not living in witness protection the last few days has heard, suffered a broken jaw after being hit by a flying puck early in Saturday’s 2-0 home victory over the N.Y. Islanders that marked Iginla’s debut as a Pen.
No one replaces Sidney Crosby. He’s only the league’s best player, points (56, 10 in front of Tampa’s Steven Stamkos) and assists leader and, until now anyway, slam-dunk Hart Trophy favorite.
But if any team can weather such an incalcuable loss, it’s the Eastern Division-leading Penguins, who are unfortunately getting to test out the depth they’ve been scrupulously gathering sooner than they could’ve ever imagined.
The positive news: It’s early, but no concussion-like symptoms detected yet for Sid the Kid.
“Obviously, it’s a huge loss,” said winger James Neal. “The way Sid’s been playing, unbelievable. Losing him sucks but at the same time we’ve got some good depth on this team.
“I definitely feel like I need to step up. Hopefully we can build some chemistry with Iggy and get going here.”
The Penguins go in search of consecutive win No. 16 Tuesday, a game off the franchise and league record, versus the Buffalo Sabres.
As of Monday’s practice, the first since Crosby underwent surgery to repair his busted jaw, Tyler Kennedy had moved into the centre slot on the Sid-less top line, alongside Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. A second line featured Evgeni Malkin at pivot with Iginla and Neal on the flanks. Brandon Sutter centred a third line, partnered with Brenden Morrow and Matt Cooke.
Familiarity, said Bylsma, played into the decision-making mix-’n-match process.
“You could put all the bingo balls in there to see what comes out and get a lot of different things. But today when we looked at combinations on the ice, we had two lines that pretty much stayed together. Jarome, James and Geno are looking to spend some time on the ice together. Sutter, Cooke and Morrow, same way.
“Centre is Tyler Kennedy’s natural position, although he hasn’t played a lot of it recently. I think going forward you would expect to see Dustin Jeffrey in that spot, too.
“But certainly to have T.K. in the middle with those two guys, the speed and tenacity he brings … We had that in practice today and we’ll see it in the game.
“When Sid left the ice, I immediately thought of T.K. going to centre.”
The injuries to key offensive personnel will give Iginla plenty of opportunity to carve out a niche on the power play.
“Jarome’s a guy who’s playing the flank position, the shooting position, and he has played it numerous times in his past,” said Bylsma. “The majority of the goals that are scored when he’s on the ice are in the position he’s in with us now.
“We’re looking for that mid-seam pass, that board-to-board pass, that we have with Crosby and Malkin, now with Malkin and Iginla.”
Whoever’s out there, Pitt possesses plenty of firepower. And so they quietly chase the consecutive win streak of 17, set by the Lemieux-inspired ’92-93 Penguins.
“They have the right focus here,” said defenceman Douglas Murray, one of three significant additions to the room these last two weeks. “I haven’t heard one guy talk about the streak. Not one. Player or coach. Not once.
“They always think they can play a better game. That’s been the message since I got here. I think that’s the way you’ve gotta approach things and why they’re threatening that streak in the first place.”
Bylsma said even without Crosby, leadership will not be an issue.
“I don’t think there’s a need to look into that, filling a void or anything like that,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players in that room, a lot of leadership in that room.
“That was evident before, and will be going forward.”
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