OTTAWA, Ontario — Especially given the way the first 13 minutes played out, it might have been tough to tell the Penguins had an extra defenseman in the lineup Wednesday night, but they did.
Mike Sullivan opted to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the Penguins’ 5-1 Game 3 loss to Ottawa. It marked just the second time the Penguins have used this configuration, and the first time they’ve done so intentionally. The only other time was their 3-0 win in Vancouver March 11, and that was because Carl Hagelin went down with an injury the night before and they physically couldn’t get another forward to Vancouver in time.