After defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue their 4-game road trip in Ottawa tonight against the surprising 3-1 Senators.
It will be interesting to see what line combinations Dan Bylsma uses this evening because, over the last several games, he's been doing a lot of mixing and matching up and down the lineup.
Of course, the most notable move has been giving center Jordan Staal more time on the wing on the second line with Evgeni Malkin.
That has resulted in goals in two straight games for Staal -- and better play from Malkin -- so look for that trend to continue.
But Bylsma has made several other moves as well, including playing guys like RW Tyler Kennedy on the first line.
Personally, I prefer stability with the lines. After all, the Penguins' used that stability throughout most of the last 2 post-seasons on their way to 2 straight Stanley Cup Final appearances.
On the other hand, I understand that the 82-game grind is a lot different than being locked into playoff competition, so I can be somewhat more tolerant of line juggling at this point -- provided that, as we get into the stretch of the season 4 months from now, Disco Dan is trying to settle on something.
On a separate topic, I read an interesting Sports Illustrated on-line piece recently, where it set out the top 26 role players in the NHL.
Not surprisingly, Max Talbot was the first.
Surprisingly, however, Tyler Kennedy was #2.
And, in a fun way to end the list, Bylsma -- of course, a coach, but also a former role player -- was #27.
Here's the list for your enjoyment:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0909/nhl.most.valuable.role.players/content.1.html
Recap tomorrow.
Let's Go Pens.
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