Pittsburgh Penguins Weekly Roundup: 5 Points on the Pens

Sep 22, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist (72) skates during the pre-game before playing the Detroit Red Wings at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

1. Patric Hornqvist is a monster. Literally.

Okay, not literally.

But Hornqvist has been an absolute beast for the Penguins through their first 4 games, putting up 4 goals and 4 assists. Most notably, the Swede has posted a league-leading 28 shots.

There are plenty of players around the NHL who can pile up points for a week or two before fizzling out and fading back into the background, but as long as he’s firing everything that comes into his general vicinity in the direction of the net, Hornqvist figures to keep on producing.

With 28 shots in 4 games, Hornqvist is shooting at a pace of 7 shots per game. Projected over a full 82 games, that amounts to 574 shots. Is he going to reach that absurdly high total? No. But if he can come anywhere close, he’s going to change the culture of this team.

The Pens’ leading shooter last season was captain Sidney Crosby with 259. The league leader was Alexander Ovechkin with 386. As long as he keeps doing what he’s doing, Hornqvist looks ready to top both those totals, and to take Pittsburgh on his back while he does.

With all due respect to former Pens sniper James Neal, Patric Hornqvist is the real deal.

Dec 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Pascal Dupuis (9) reacts after being named a star of the game against the Minnesota Wild at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

2. Pittsburgh dodged a bullet with Pascal Dupuis

It is a miracle Pascal Dupuis was able to take the ice one day after taking a slapshot to the back of the neck while down on the ice. It is unbelievable that he played in the next game.

There are few injuries in sports that are scarier than those involving the head and those involving the spine. Dupuis was extremely close to having to deal with at least one of these scenarios, but luckily came out without a scratch.

Despite strong performances for the last several years in Pittsburgh, Dupuis remains one of the most underrated players on the Penguins’ roster – not only for his on-ice skill, but also for his emotional leadership.

He is one of the most driven athletes on Pittsburgh’s roster, and his absence was felt both last season and during the Penguins’ game against Dallas, after he was stretchered off the ice.

Pittsburgh should count itself quite lucky that they won’t have to be without Duper for any longer.

Oct 3, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Beau Bennett (19) on the ice against the New Jersey Devils during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

3. Pittsburgh has found a winning lineup, but changes are coming soon

The Penguins have looked great through the first couple weeks of the season, and have iced a team that is performing well offensively and defensively.

So what are they going to do when Beau Bennett is ready to return from his knee injury? Of the twelve forwards currently suiting up for the Penguins, all have earned their right to be there. Zach Sill seems like the most likely candidate to be sent down, as he is the least established of the forward corps, though he has earned his spot on the squad thus far.

Bennett was originally thought to be a lock to play alongside Malkin on the second line. Then this summer we heard of coach Mike Johnston’s plan to play him with Brandon Sutter on the third line. That’s going to be difficult considering Malkin and Sutter are now together on the second. Does Bennett replace Dupuis with that pair? Unlikely.

Perhaps, then, he slots in somewhere on the third line with either Marcel Goc or Nick Spaling, pushing Steve Downie or Blake Comeau down to the fourth. It could work, but Bennett’s skill isn’t exactly suited to the game either of these bottom two lines are playing. He’s better suited to the hockey being played up on the top two lines, but there just doesn’t seem to be a spot for him in there.

Does Bennett’s return signal the end of the Malkin-on-the-wing experiment then? Coach Johnston may elect to put Geno back at centre and Sutter back down on the third line, with Bennett flanking either one of them. If this is the case, that’s an awful lot of change for a team that’s starting to get on a roll.

Summary: It’s going to be a mess.

Apr 19, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates an assist on a goal by Penguins center Brian Gibbons (not pictured) against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period in game two of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. The Pens are shooting everything, everywhere, all the time.

Through their first four games of the year, Pittsburgh is second in the league in shots-per-game with 36.8. They sit behind only Chicago who is averaging 40.

It’s still early (really early), but considering Pittsburgh ranked 16th last season in the same category, their hot start in the shots department is noteworthy.

Led by the previously mentioned monster, Pittsburgh has posted shot totals of 39, 41, 29, and 38 through their first four contests – with the only outlier being the 29-shot performance against Dallas, which saw a lower number with Dupuis sidelined.

There’s a reason you hear hockey players repeat the same lines over and over before games and on the bench and between periods – “We’ve got to keep shooting”, “We just need to keep putting pucks on net”, etc. You’re not going to win without shots. It’s about more than just giving yourself an opportunity to score. It’s about carrying out a consistent attack. The mental game is won by the team that never lets up, that attacks and pushes all the way until the final horn, never giving an inch to their opponent.

It’s no coincidence that perennial contenders Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston all finished in the top 10 in this category last season.

The Penguins have at times been caught relying too much on their ability to carry out complex plays simply because they’re one of the few teams with personnel talented enough to do so. Coach Johnston’s new system seems to have remedied that, however, as the team looks to be making the shoot-everything mentality a key part of their identity in 2014-15.

Mar 28, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) checks Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout (47) at Nationwide Arena. The Penguins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Penguins have bite (finally).

One of the most notable shifts in the Penguins’ identity this season is their mean streak. Accused over the last few seasons of being soft, Pittsburgh seems keen on never flirting with that accusation again, as they’ve added a significant physical edge to their play.

That edge was on display against the New York Islanders on Saturday, as we saw the Penguins show something that was missing last season – confrontation.

Late in the second period, Crosby clipped Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak while skating by him, prompting some pushing and shoving from New York D-man Travis Hamonic. Steve Downie wasted no time getting involved, skating over to get in Hamonic’s face and chirping him endlessly as the refs pushed the two apart. Downie continued to send a message in the third with a bone-shaking hit that prompted a brawl, continuing to get the Islanders off their game.

Pittsburgh has been missing this confrontational element since they lost Matt Cooke to free agency a few seasons ago. Say what you will about Cooke, but he did his part for this team and helped bring the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh.

With Downie filling that role once again, the Penguins of the present aren’t afraid to be in your face. He isn’t alone either, as the Pens now have Hornqvist skating bullishly around the ice, crashing the crease and throwing his weight around.

Veteran Chris Kunitz is getting in on the action as well, as the forward currently ranks among the top 5 in the league in hits with 23.

With Hornqvist and Kunitz leading the way for the top-six, and Downie, Comeau and Sill doing the same for the bottom six, Pittsburgh is getting healthy doses of physicality all through their lineup – just another tool that will make them a harder team to get through come playoff time.