Penguins' Patric Hornqvist gets top-line assignment for outdoor game
PHILADELPHIA — Having failed to record a point in his previous 14 games, Patric Hornqvist received a serious boost before Saturday’s Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.
He was bumped up to the right-wing spot on the team’s top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.
“Anybody that plays with Sid, I think, has an opportunity to be at their best because he makes the players around him better,” coach Mike Sullivan said.
Bryan Rust moved to the third line with Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad.
Sullivan said he’d like to see his team settle into some consistent line combinations down the stretch.
“We’re trying to figure out how we can put all the players in the best possible positions,” he said. “When Nick plays that third-line center role, we think he brings an offensive dimension to that line. He’s a real good offensive player. He’s got good instincts. The way it’s configured right now, we’ve got two center icemen on the ice, which is good defensively.”
Sullivan also made a change to his fourth line. Garrett Wilson was in for Dominik Simon. Teddy Blueger was scratched for the third straight game.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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