Shane Lunnen
Before Game 1 versus the Capitals, I was going to go with a different player as the Penguins X-Factor. However now I’m going with Patric Hornqvist. He assisted on both of Sidney Crosby’s goals and the second one in particular was very nice. He collected a blue line shot from Olli Maatta that bounced off Brandon Holtby and dished it over to Crosby for the wide open goal.
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Hornqvist could be a huge factor in this series. He is very good at creating chaos in front of the net and this could lead directly to goals, as we saw in Game 1. Plus he’s not a bad goal scorer himself, having two thus far in these playoffs to go along with his three assists.
Hornqvist mostly played on the third line during the series against Columbus. With the emergence of Jake Guentzel, the Penguins now have a lethal combination on their first line. The Penguins are going to rely on Hornqvist to create plays and disrupt the area around the Capitals net. He has the potential to really make his mark on this series.