Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 Ways the Pens Can Fix Their Powerplay

Nov 25, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (left) celebrates his game tying goal with .3 seconds remaining in the third period past Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) as Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) and Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (86) look on during Boston

5. Reunite Crosby and Malkin

While the team’s top two lines look great 5-on-5, splitting up Crosby and Malkin on the powerplay in favour of these lines is not the solution.

The powerplay must, at its most basic level, showcase the team’s offensive strength.

That stars with a unit consisting of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang – and the chemistry they’ve built from playing together for seven seasons.

Outside of those two, the coaching staff must mix and match to find what works best. It could be Perron and Kunitz working with the chemistry of the top line alongside elite flankers in Malkin and Letang.

Or it could be Hornqvist causing havoc in front of the net while his mates work a strong cycle around him.

Regardless, 87, 71, and 58 must come over the boards together each time the team’s top powerplay unit takes the ice.