Let's forget about labels for a second. Or better yet, let's not.
Say you're an NHL coach or a GM and here's your power play – Evgeni Malkin, Jeff Carter, Kasperi Kapanen, Jason Zucker and Mike Matheson or, if you need more of a defensive presence, sub John Marino for Zucker.
I am neither a coach nor a GM but I have seen a few hockey games over the years and I'm sure you have, too. That looks like a pretty formidable power play to me. And that would be the Penguins second unit.
Of course, that presents what is perceived to be a potential problem because – all together now - "You can't put Evgeni Malkin on the second unit." My question is – why not?
Under normal circumstances, that's a fair point. Malkin is a Hall of Famer and one of the NHL's Top 100 of all time (okay, Top 101). He's been a mainstay on the number one power play, along with Sidney Crosby, ever since they've been in the league. Some years, the Pens PP has been downright lethal.
However, that was not the case earlier this season until Malkin suffered a lower body (knee) injury and the Penguins stumbled onto Jared McCann. That also meant Crosby stepping into Malkin's customary spot along the half-wall, with McCann mostly spotting up in the left circle.
While McCann has certainly made an impact scoring goals, some with dogged determination, the biggest difference is that the power play -with Sid quarterbacking - is no longer stationary. Instead of passing the puck around the perimeter, sometimes too patiently waiting for the perfect shot and making themselves easier to defend, this Pens power play features player movement which forces defenders to move.
That creates openings for every player.
Another issue that's mostly gone away – those pesky blue-line turnovers that too often resulted in short-handed goals. Let's face it, all too often, it seemed Malkin was a culprit. Not that Malkin was to blame for Kris Letang's turnovers on the power play but Letang is playing a much cleaner game, skating seamlessly from point to point.
Getting back to the labels and any stigma for a player of Malkin's stature to be "relegated" to a second unit, he has centered a second line his entire career! Of course, that's only because of the presence of Crosby. No one has ever considered Malkin a second anything. Well, except for those geniuses who didn't consider him one of the NHL's Top 100 players.
Another aspect of this is how often Crosby, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel draw penalties. What's wrong with starting out with a second power play unit that's made up of front line players who would be a first unit on many other teams? The answer is – there is nothing wrong with it.
Even when the first unit went 0-for-3 Tuesday night against Boston, they still generated chances and looked anything but stagnant. The topic of separating Malkin and Crosby to form 2 "separate, but equal" power plays have come up from time to time over their careers. Now that they have the personnel to pull it off, it's time.
