For Penguins forwards, 'being a bad goalie' can lead to good things

As he participated in Tuesday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist was in an area where anyone with even a passing interest in the team over the past five years could safely assume he would typically inhabit.

Near the crease.

Hornqvist, who has been sidelined due to an undisclosed injury he suffered Nov. 2, participated in the morning skate without any restrictions. His next step would be to get medical clearance to return to the lineup.

During Tuesday’s skate, he took shots on goaltender Matt Murray and exchanged a handful of love taps with Murray. Typically, any contact Hornqvist engages with a goaltender is far more volatile.

For instance, midway through the Penguins’ 7-4 road win against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 12, Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk “tapped” Hornqvist repeatedly by slugging the Penguins forward’s ribs with his blocker during a post-whistle goal-mouth fracas.

During Hornqvist’s convalescence, the Penguins have acknowledge they are simply not as strong of a squad without his persistence at irking the opposing goaltender.

“It’s hard to replicate that,” forward Jared McCann said. “It’s nasty the way he goes to the net. He’s a pain in the butt for a lot of other guys on the other team. We need to find a way to replicate that.”

They have tried to fill that void.

“We show them on film,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We show (Hornqvist) to our guys a lot because we think he’s one of the better guys in the league at it. We’re trying to remind them that we’ve got to make it difficult for the goaltender. The goalies are real good in this league. If they see it, for the most part, they’re probably going to stop it. So we’ve got to try make the sight lines difficult. When we do that, I think it gives us a better chance to score.”

One of those instances came in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers on Nov. 12. Trailing 2-0, the Penguins got their first goal thanks to a screen by forward Dominik Simon. As defenseman Justin Schultz took a pass and surveyed the cage from the right circle, Simon slid in front of the crease, dragging Rangers forward Brett Howden along with him and obscuring the vision of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. That allowed Schultz to snipe a wrister to the far side past Georgiev’s left shoulder.

The Penguins have a peculiar way of describing how to be an effective net-front presence.

“Coach Sullivan says a lot, ‘Being a bad goalie,’ ” said forward Nick Bjugstad, also sidelined with an undisclosed injury. “Let the puck go through you and at the same time, not letting the goalie see it. That’s step one. Step two is hopefully getting a tip on it. If you don’t retrieving that puck and getting in that body position. Some guys make a living off of that. They’re skilled in that area. So it’s not just luck. It’s definitely an intensity level and body positioning. It’s a lot of different things but first and foremost, the goalie can’t see the puck.”

“There’s details to it,” forward Jared McCann said. “(Hornqvist) is so good at it. He’s so good at just staying in the goalie’s eyes and following the puck, staying square with the goalie. Coach Sullivan says this a lot. It’s being a bad goalie. You’ve got to be a bad goalie with four holes.”

Beyond the technical aspects of the job, a major component of the role is just being persistent.

“Getting to the net but also putting yourself in the right position, taking away the goalie’s eyes and ultimately, being tough to play against in front of the net,” forward Brandon Tanev said. “Don’t be moved and be stingy in there.”

Added forward Teddy Blueger said, “There’s a couple elements that go into it. Obviously, you want to screen the goalie. But at the same time, the other team isn’t just going to let you stand there. You’re always battling the net-front (defenseman). Tip the puck if you can, but your first priority has got to be taking the (goaltender’s) eyes away.”

Regardless of Hornqvist’s availability, going to the net is a regular missive issued by the Penguins coaching staff.

“It’s stressed even if (Hornqvist) is in the lineup,” forward Bryan Rust said. “The more you can get there, the more chaos you cause. The harder you make it on the goalie, usually more goals go in.”

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