Some notes on Malkins move and other stuff

On the Penguins official website, Coach Bylsma had this to say about moving Malkin back to the middle:

“During the first 12 games Jordan missed, we didn’t know when he would be coming back. Now, with him being injured again, he is going to be out six weeks. We thought about this immediately when we knew Jordan wasn’t going to come out.”
I certainly don’t want it to be a situation where he is bouncing back and forth game to game. Right now, with Mark Letestu playing very strong, having (Letestu) be the third-line center makes our third line strong in the middle winning draws. Having Evgeni on the top two lines as a center makes us look more like we have in the past.”.


I think this is the right move at this time. Letestu can move back to the 3rd line, where he may be better suited in the long run. 




Another interesting decision tonight will be whether Bylsma goes with 6 or 7 defensemen. With Michalek coming back, one of either Ben Lovejoy or Deryk Engelland will be bumped down to the 7th spot. Who will be the odd man out? I would really hate to see Engelland take a seat. If you read my posts, you know I have been a fan of his all year. Can he sustain all season and continue to get better at defense? I dont know but I do know I really like what I have seen from him so far. 




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