VORHEES TOWNSHIP, N.J. — On Friday, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby wasn’t terribly interested in re-litigating the embellishment penalty he received Wednesday in Game 3 of his team’s first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.
At 18 minutes, 47 seconds of the first period, Crosby lined up for a faceoff in Philadelphia’s left circle and was struck in the face by Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway, who was — for reasons perhaps only clear to him — twirling his stick behind his back.
Crosby fell to the ice in a pronounced fashion, and Hathaway was assessed a minor penalty for high sticking. After some conversations with his fellow officials, referee Francois St. Laurent issued a minor penalty for embellishment to Crosby.
It was the first time in his 21-year career Crosby had received such a penalty.
On Friday, he was asked about the entire episode.
“I don’t really want to get into it,” Crosby said. “It happened. He hit me in the face with his stick. I don’t know what else you want me to tell you. You can make up whatever you want to make up. But that’s the facts, and he got away with it. It’s a good tradeoff for him.”
Solovyov may enter lineup
The Penguins practiced at Flyers Training Center on Friday and offered some new looks to some of their lines and defensive pairings.
Of note, rookie defenseman Ilya Solovyov, a healthy scratch for the first three games of the series, operated on the right side of the third pairing with fellow left-hander Ryan Shea.
If Solovyov is in the lineup for Saturday’s Game 4 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, it would be the first NHL playoff game of his career.
“I’d be so excited,” Solovyov said. “First playoff game. First experience here with a great team, a great group of guys. I’m really excited. I just have to bring my best and help the guys win the game.”
While he is left-handed, Solovyov professes comfort on the right side. During the regular season, three of the 14 games he played for the Penguins saw him open play on the starboard side.
“I’m comfortable on the right side,” the 25-year-old Solovyov said. “When I was young, I played the right side the whole time until the age 15, 16 when (a) coach put me on the left. But before, I play right.”
Defenseman Connor Clifton, who typically skates with Shea, operated as a reserve Friday.
Soderblom could return
Forward Elmer Soderblom was a healthy scratch for Game 3, a 5-2 road loss. And while he was in the press box for that contest, he couldn’t truly watch the game with his fellow teammates, who were scratches.
The desk area in the press box of Xfinity Mobile Arena is particularly compact, especially if you happen to be 6-foot-8 and 252 pounds. As such, Soderblom sat in a chair near the hallway of the press box, watching on a monitor.
“It is what it is,” Soderblom said. “You can’t really control it too much. I’m just trying to not to think about it too much.”
Soderblom appears to be a thought for Game 4. At least based on his work on the right side of the third line in practice Friday. He skated with rookie Ben Kindel at center and Anthony Mantha at right wing.
Like Soderblom, Mantha (6-5, 240) has robust dimensions, whereas Kindel (5-11, 182) is more of a waterbug. The makeup of that line intrigues Soderblom.
“We can win some puck battles, get possession of the puck,” Soderblom said. “And obviously (Kindel) is a big part of making plays and having vision. That’s a good mix. We can protect pucks down low and make plays to the net.”
Soderblom played in Games 1 and 2 before being scratched Wednesday.
“I feel like I did what I could with the minutes that I got,” Soderblom said of his play in the first two contests. “I played my game. Obviously, it’s the playoffs, so it’s another level. You can always learn stuff from every game. But, so far, I feel like I’ve played decent.”
Vladar uncertain
The status of Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar remains uncertain, at least publicly, after he emerged from Game 3 of his team’s ongoing first-round series with the Penguins with a few bumps and bruises.
During a 5-2 win Wednesday, Vladar appeared to injure his left (blocker) hand during the third period.
Speaking with reporters Friday, coach Rick Tocchet declared Vladar a “game-time decision” for Game 4.
“It’s another maintenance day for him,” Tocchet said. “Two days off is going to help him. That’s basically it for him. We’ll see how he is (Saturday).”
Should Vladar be unavailable, Samuel Ersson would be the leading candidate to replace him.
During the regular season, Ersson appeared in 33 games and posted a 14-11-5 record, a 3.12 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage.