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Marc-Andre Fleury and Jon Taglianetti, a member of the Penguins' equipment staff, stood in the dressing room and stared at a pair of new, NHL-approved goalie pants following Wednesday's practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.
Fleury held them up and examined them, just as one might do at a department store.
Fashion is not a frequent topic of discussion in the dressing room, but the goalie pant restrictions that go into effect Saturday have forced Fleury and Matt Murray to consider fit and form in recent weeks.
“Actually I needed a few more modifications to mine,” said Fleury, who only traded in his old, bulkier CCM pants for the slimmer, trimmer version in the past several days.
Enforcement of the goalie pants restrictions comes after months of delays and debate about the rules. The NHL hopes form-fitting gear helps to increase scoring. The players' union pushed back over safety concerns.
Neither Fleury nor Murray is known for wearing excessively large or bulky equipment, but they appreciate the sense of security that comes with puffier pants. Differences in leg protection are not pronounced, but they're noticeable.
“There's no cushion when the puck hits you,” said Murray, who wears Vaughn pants. “(The pant leg) is just solid right up against you. It leaves a mark, but nothing crazy. They don't feel much slimmer in (the thigh). It's mostly just tighter in the in-seam. So they're not too bad.”
Murray started to use his new pants in Montreal on Jan. 18. Fleury hung onto his older gear for the sake of familiarity.
“You get used to something after many years,” he said. “But I think it's fair. You make rules for everybody to stay within the rules.”
Malkin skates
Center Evgeni Malkin (lower body) worked out on the ice before the Penguins' morning skate Friday. He did not participate in the team practice, but he hung around with Conor Sheary (upper body) to watch.
Centering pass
Coach Mike Sullivan indicated that until Sheary and Malkin return from their injuries, the Penguins might explore some different forward combinations, and Friday, that entailed Matt Cullen's presence on Sidney Crosby's left wing rather than at center on the fourth line.
One possibility Sullivan did not rule out during this period of experimentation is another game for Jake Guentzel at center. The rookie served that role with the Penguins for the first time Jan. 26 against Boston, but he moved back to left wing Tuesday against Nashville and remained there Friday.
“It wasn't that we didn't like what we saw, because he is capable and we can put him there, and we may moving forward, depending on what our situation is,” Sullivan said. “But that's just an option that we have. We've really liked him on the wing. We think he's been more effective playing on the wing, and that's why we chose to go back to that.”
One encouraging sign for Guentzel in his brief stint at center: He won four of seven faceoffs during the 4-3 loss to the Bruins.
“I think it's a pretty big change,” Guentzel, who played center for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, said of the shift to center for the Penguins. “Faceoffs are a big thing now, and you have to make sure you're ready to go. Then obviously D zone is a big difference. … Obviously you want to be versatile whenever you can. I've just got to work on it a little bit more.”
Heated at home
Columbus winger and Gibsonia native Brandon Saad prefers to limit the amount of hockey talk he engages in when he visits home. The Blue Jackets' struggles and Penguins' surge in 2015-16 made that easy enough. But with the teams in a tight race with Washington for the NHL's best record this season, Saad recognizes the inevitably of conversations that compare his current employer to the team of his childhood.
“It's heating up, for sure,” he said, “but it's more fun to be a part of, especially after last year, with the year we had. It's always better when you're winning.”
“I never really bring it up too much (with friends). I know they're all about Pittsburgh, being from Pittsburgh, but I definitely have their support.”
Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.
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