PITTSBURGH — If you had clamored for Mike Sullivan to shake up a stagnant Penguins lineup, your wish was granted in Friday’s 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Kasperi Kapanen and Dominik Simon were finally healthy scratches. Young Valtteri Puustinen made his NHL debut. And Sullivan unveiled three new forward lines at PPG Paints Arena. Plus, Mike Matheson rejoined the lineup with a jolt.
It was far from a perfect performance. Pittsburgh had to shake off a sluggish second period to beat an undermanned Vegas team down several regulars. That continued a trend of incomplete efforts since last week’s victory at Tampa Bay.
