NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Thursday, May 10 Line change perks up Pens By Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com PITTBSURGH -- Maybe the answer to the question of who's coaching the Penguins is easy to answer, after all. And no, it's not Mario Lemieux. Jagr Lemieux Perhaps, coach Ivan Hlinka, captain Jaromir Jagr and Lemieux coach by committee. After the Penguins defeated Buffalo 3-2 in overtime Thursday, all three took some degree of credit for the decision to split up the two superstars late in Game 7. "I just talked to Ivan. It was just a suggestion," Lemieux said of switching Jagr onto a line with Robert Lang and Martin Straka, with Alexei Kovalev joining Lemieux and Kevin Stevens. "'Jags' was skating pretty well, and to have some speed with Marty -- with 'Langer' holding the puck very well -- it was probably a better fit for us tonight." Hlinka admitted to discussing it with Lemieux, but as for the actual suggestion ... "You know, sometimes you have a feeling for it, for something," Hlinka said. "I have to say I talked to Mario about that during the third period. And I think it was a good move." But turn around and ask Jagr about it, and, apparently, Jagr had Hlinka's ear as well. "I felt good, and I told Ivan to play me whenever you can, play me all the time," Jagr said. Whoever thought of it, the shift seemed to spark the Penguins, especially in overtime when Pittsburgh outshot Buffalo 10-5. Jagr had a jump in his step in Game 7 that he hadn't had all series. He carried the puck up the ice more and worked through Buffalo defenders as if his shoulder and/or thigh injuries were close to 100 percent. Ironically, Jagr didn't put one shot on net the entire game, but he assisted on all three Pittsburgh goals and was the only Penguins skater to be plus-2. "When you put Jagr with (Straka and Lang), there's so much speed up there, it's unbelievable," defenseman Ian Moran said. "It's not like you're putting a banger in there to try and create space. They are two of the most highly skilled players in the game." The Sabres had trouble handling the speed of Jagr's new line, which helped Darius Kasparaitis score just his second career postseason goal to win the game and end Buffalo's season. Buffalo's forwards were so preoccupied with keeping up with Jagr, Straka and Lang that they sagged into the defensive zone, opening up the high slot for a trailing defenseman. The same thing happened just before Kasparaitis' goal, when rookie defenseman Andrew Ference had a point-blank shot that Hasek saved. "We talked within the team about getting the defenseman up in the rush," said Kasparaitis, who wouldn't say whether he needed approval from the Penguins' triumvirate. The line shift also helped Lemieux, who looked a bit fatigued and played less than he has been in the 2001 playoffs. On Thursday, he played 24 minutes, 48 seconds after logging more than 26 minutes in each of the previous two games. Kovalev's puckhandling style allowed Lemieux to position himself for shots -- although he only had one. "Kovalev can set up Lemieux for a good one-time shot," Moran said. Over on the left side of Lemieux's line, Stevens didn't care who made the decision. He liked it, mainly because it helped the Penguins win the game -- and the series. Stevens, himself, was still adjusting to playing with Lemieux because until Game 6, Stevens was on a checking line. "It worked out great. We had some good chances in overtime, and the other line was clicking all night," said Stevens, who was overwhelmed by the victory, no small feat for a player who has won the Stanley Cup two times. "It's tremendous. The whole thing." Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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