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Pittsburgh Penguins: First Line is Absolutely Magical

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Apr 4, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) chases the puck up ice ahead of right wing Jake Guentzel (59) and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (3) during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) chases the puck up ice ahead of right wing Jake Guentzel (59) and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (3) during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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A rookie, a sophomore and a superstar walk into an NHL game. Little did they know that when put on a line together, they would absolutely dominate on the ice. This is what the Pittsburgh Penguins have for their first line.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a brilliant line in the HBK line last playoffs, but with the sudden injury of Carl Hagelin it seems as though we won’t see a repeat of that. However, the Penguins current first line consisting of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary may do just the trick.

The three members of the line have went from simply being a make-shift line to fill injury problems into a permanent line that brings a lot of success. Each player brings something new to the table, and as a whole they are very good.

Sidney Crosby

Let’s take a look at the centre-piece for this line. The captain and the superstar Sidney Crosby is arguably the greatest hockey player in the world right now. You can say he’s so good that he makes everyone around him better. If this is the case, you may be wondering why does this line matter?

This line is special. Crosby has shuffled around with linemates many times in the past. This time however, things are clicking very right. Just taking a look at his stats this season, Crosby had one of his best goal scoring seasons ever, including taking the only Maurice Richard trophy that he solely won (he shared it with Steven Stamkos in 2009-10). Crosby finished the season off with 44 goals and 45 assists in 75 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Crosby played with Sheary and Guentzel for the majority of the second half of the season. A.K.A, the time when Crosby and the Penguins really started to heat up. You have to give credit where credit is due. Crosby’s success is due to his linemates in a huge way.

Now just looking at the two playoff games we played so far you can tell this line is working. Especially in game two, Crosby had three points on the night. Two of these points came from a goal that was assisted by both Guentzel and Sheary, and then another assist on Guentzel’s goal.

You could think that he’s so good that he’s just making Guentzel and Sheary better, but let’s consider how good both of these guys have also been.

Jake Guentzel

The new rookie in town has made a name for himself. After getting called up this season he put up 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in only 40 games. This is amazingly impressive for a call-up who was expected to do much less.

He may be the newest one on this line but he has been playing great. A lot of his play doesn’t show up in his numbers, but that’s OK. You can see that he knows where to go, which is crucial while playing with someone like Sidney Crosby. He brings a great, big game with a good amount of offensive flair that compliments both Crosby and Sheary nicely.

Conor Sheary

I feel like I’ve talked about Conor Sheary so much already that it’s wearing out, but it’s OK because this has to be enforced. Conor Sheary is good. He’s really good. And his season has been a big reason as to why this line and the entire Pittsburgh Penguins team has been finding success.

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In only his sophomore season, Sheary put up 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points in 61 games. This is a huge escalation from his rookie campaign, and it ranked him fourth on the team in goals and points.

You got to see that this success is coming from his play with his line. 21 of his 23 goals and 27 of his 30 assists were at even strength. It’s clear to see that Sheary’s escalation in his game is because this line works so well.

New Dominant Playoff Line?

The HBK line of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs was something out of a movie. Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel absolutely exploded on the ice and solidified their line as the most dominant in hockey.

This year, with Hagelin out of the lineup due to injury, this line of Crosby, Guentzel and Sheary may step up to be the new dominant line. Although the HBK line seemed to click perfectly, The chemistry seems to be building with this new line, and they have spent the majority of the second half of the regular season together.

Next: Penguins Have Toughest Road to the Stanley Cup

Like I mentioned before, the line already combined for five points while playing together in game two. If they keep playing like this, we may see something really special emerging here.

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