Quick on the draws

Thursday, 21 February 2013 19:35

Written by Dave Molinari

Sidney Crosby is the Penguins' go-to guy on faceoffs – he's handled 406 of them, 165 more than any teammate – and he's done pretty well, going 233-173 for a success rate of 57.4 percent.

Still, he hasn't been good enough to be the team's best.

Aside from left winger Chris Kunitz, who has won three of the four draws he's handled, the Penguins' top faceoff man, percentage-wise, is fourth-line center Joe Vitale. He is 86-46, a success rate of 65.2 percent.

His faceoff prowess apparently isn't enough to guarantee Vitale a spot in the Penguins' lineup when Florida visits Consol Energy Center Friday, however.

Dustin Jeffrey took his usual spot between Tanner Glass and Craig Adams during practice today, and it isn't clear whether Vitale or Jeffrey will be the fourth-line center for the Panthers game.