It isn’t every coach who would break up one of the NHL’s best lines with his hockey club playing a virtual must-win playoff game.
Then again, it isn’t every coach who has Mike Sullivan’s uncanny feel for his team, not to mention his nearly unparalleled record of success.
I was stunned Thursday night when the Penguins lined up for Game 4 against the Washington Capitals, down 2-1 in their series after two consecutive losses, with young, little-used Dominic Simon in place of Patric Hornqvist on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. The Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist line had scored six of the team’s seven goals in the first three games and 20 of its 35 in these playoffs.