Penguins focus on details of neutral-zone faceoffs

DALLAS — Faceoffs are an integral part of hockey. It pretty much is how any and all play begins.

But it usually is limited to three participants: two centers and a linesman.

Yet, during a practice in the American Airlines Center on Friday, Mike Sullivan demanded more involvement.

Actually, he yelled for it.

“All five guys got to know what we’re trying to do here! All. Five. Guys!”

For about 10 minutes, Sullivan directed a drill in which a squad of five skaters — three forwards and two defensemen — was expected to react by the team’s schematics to a faceoff win in the neutral zone. During the drill, Sullivan served as the linesman and allowed the team to “win” the faceoff by basically throwing it behind the center. The other four players were then expected to perform duties demanded of their position.

Sullivan wanted to spruce up the team’s play off neutral-zone faceoff wins after a dull effort in that area during Wednesday’s 3-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We had a fair amount of faceoff wins in the neutral zone, and we didn’t gain access to the (offensive) zone,” Sullivan said. “As I said to the guys, when we win faceoffs, worst-case scenario, we should be able to establish territory and have an opportunity to establish a forecheck. Best-case scenario, we should be able to create a scoring chance off of a won faceoff. We were getting neither in the last couple of games. So we just thought it was a detail of our game that we thought we would address.

”We addressed it with the film session before we went on the ice. Then we went out and practiced it.”

The message appeared to be received loud and clearly.

“Mainly, just our execution,” rookie forward Sam Lafferty said. “If we’re winning the faceoff, we need to be gaining the (offensive) zone. Whether it’s carrying the puck in or getting it deep, that’s the biggest thing.”

“We turned the puck over a lot in the neutral zone against Tampa,” forward Jared McCann said. “It’s something we worked on and we cleaned it up.”

By the team’s own statistics (something Sullivan supplied by barking it to players during practice, or to anyone with properly functioning tympanic membrane), the Penguins only accomplished the best-case scenario three times in the six draws they won against the Lightning.

“When you win a faceoff, you have possession,” forward Teddy Blueger said. “We just want to try and make more of it and use it to establish it maybe some more (offensive) zone and just execute better coming through the neutral zone.”

The center’s task is obvious when it comes to faceoffs, but it’s a little more nuanced than just taking the faceoff.

“(The job of) a centerman to kind of call the plays and dictate what to do,” McCann said. “I’ve got to be better in that area.”

A faceoff isn’t always strictly an affair between two centermen either.

“I don’t think it happens too often where you just snap it back clean,” Blueger said. “A lot of times, it’s battles. Wingers got to battle for position. A lot of times, when you win a draw, it’s because the wingers are helping you.”

What exactly entails the proper play for a five-man unit off a neutral zone faceoff?

“It’s just executing the play that we talk about or improvising if it’s not there,” Blueger said. “Making sure we’re supporting each other, helping each other, putting each other in good spots to get the puck, providing good outlets. If we lose a draw, it’s knowing who you’re covering and what your assignment is off a lost draw.”

“The big thing is just being on the same page,” Lafferty said. “Wingers definitely can help out winning the draw but just having a plan going in, knowing exactly what we’re going to do (is important.)”

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