Guentzel and Pouliot sent down, HMK showing chemistry

Jake Guentzel's short-lived time with the Penguins is over. He was sent down alongside Derrick Pouliot to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins today.  Pouliot was sent down recently for a conditioning stint and whilst Sullivan has said he wants them to play, being sent down again is hardly great. By now you would expect Pouliot to be pushing the team to look at giving him game time in the  NHL.

I'm disappointed in Guentzel being sent down. He played excellently in his 5 game stint, scoring 3 goal and 1 assist. He showed some strong physical presence when paired with Malkin and his hand to eye co-ordination was superb. He didn't take long to score and has shown glimpses of a potential top six player. There is still a long way to go in his career though and if he continues to light it up in Wilkes-Barre then you could see the Penguins make a trade to fit him in.

In the last few games Sullivan has changed the lines around and one proponent we have seen is a line of Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel. This line has done some damage in the last few games and it is a huge threat due to the ability for the puck to pass between the three with ease creating high possession chances. With someone that possess a dangerous shot like Kessel it is just asking for trouble.

Crosby might be leading the team and be tied at the top of the league in goals but Malkin and Kessel are also pacing themselves well at the top of the points table. Malkin currently heads them both with 28 points through 26 games whilst Crosby and Kessel both sit on 27 points. Obviously, Crosby has played far fewer games, just 20 to be precise.

Looking ahead to the festive season and the Penguins have 9 games before their brief Christmas break and aside from the games against the Leafs and Coyotes they're all against teams that are very strong and will be hard to beat. With a busy schedule and two back-to-backs included we will likely see a lot of rotation in goal. I'm looking forward to seeing Murray play again, the team seems a lot more composed when he does. Hopefully, the Penguins can continue their recent good form.