After a disappointing start to the NHL Global Series on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to rebound in the second and final game of the event against the Nashville Predators.
Pittsburgh lost the first of the contests in Stockholm, Sweden in overtime, 2-1, and they were well-aware that their effort in that game wasn’t good enough. The Penguins are now 9-5-4 on the season, and – with one more loss, regulation or overtime – the team will technically fall below the .500 mark.
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As of now, they are also holding onto one of the final three playoff slots in the Eastern Conference with 22 points – and there is a tie among the three teams in the Penguins, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers. The team may be in Sweden, but they know how important banking two points against one of the league’s bottom teams is on Sunday.
The Penguins have now blown leads in five of their last six games, the latest of which occurred in the final minute and change of regulation on Friday against Nashville. They own a 1-3-2 record in their last six, and they are focused on getting back to shutting the door when they hold a lead.
“When you lead going into the third period and late into the game like that, you’ve got to find ways to close it out,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “And now, it’s been a few times now that we’ve lost those leads. You’ve got to find a way to close out games.”
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Pittsburgh is still injury-depleted and have limited options to address their scoring depth while on another continent, but their production has dried up in recent games. They have only scored a total of four goals in the last three games, all of which have been losses.
Nashville did not have much going heading into the Global Series, either, as they had lost five consecutive games prior to Friday. With the initial weight lifted off Nashville’s shoulders, the Penguins will look to regroup and steal three of four points on the trip, which would put them in a good position for their next stretch of schedule back in North America – where six out of their next seven opponents are currently outside the playoff picture.
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As far as lineups, it seems that not much figures to change from Friday’s game – at least, not based on Saturday’s practice. The only change came on the bottom defensive pairing, which saw Connor Clifton take the place of Matt Dumba, who got the nod on Friday.
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Line rushes did not take place, so it’s unclear whether or not changes will occur on that front for Sunday’s game.
Here were the defensive pairings from Saturday’s practice:
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea – Kris Letang
Ryan Graves – Clifton
Dumba – Harrison Brunicke
If Brunicke is indeed a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game, it will be the 19-year-old rookie’s fifth healthy scratch in a row. That number is significant because it would mean that Brunicke becomes eligible for an AHL conditioning stint that can last a maximum of either five games or 14 days – and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) plays five games within the next 14 days.
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It will be a situation to keep an eye on for Penguins’ fans.
Puck drop for Sunday’s game is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and NHL Network. You can also listen to the game on 105.9 ‘The X.’
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