The fact that a Pittsburgh Penguins team built around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is appearing in its first Stanley Cup Final in seven years speaks to the level of depth and amount of good fortune needed to succeed in today's NHL.

Thanks to some impressive on-the-fly retooling by second-year general manager Jim Rutherford, the Penguins have been able to roll out four effective forward lines through the playoffs. And while the defense has seen its share of issues, it's a new-look bottom pair that might prove to be the difference in a series against the San Jose Sharks.

Here's a look at three line combinations that will decide the Penguins' fate in the Stanley Cup Final.

'HBK'

One of the big stories of the playoffs so far has been Pittsburgh's 'HBK' line, and not simply because of the tie-in with former WWE superstar Shawn Michaels.

The trio of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel is technically listed as the Penguins' third line, but they've played like a top unit for weeks now, outscoring all teammates not named Crosby or Malkin.

The line was created in light of an injury suffered by Malkin late in the regular season, and the chemistry developed coupled with the Russian center's return has given head coach Mike Sullivan the ability to deploy three legitimate scoring lines.

The opposition can only keep so many weapons from firing, and with attention duly paid to Pittsburgh's two elite centers, the HBK line will need to keep dropping sweet chin music in order for the Penguins to achieve their ultimate goal.

Kunitz - Malkin - Rust

In Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bryan Rust drove to the net like a car fresh off the lot, scoring both of his team's goals - with several other golden opportunities along the way - in the series-clinching victory.

The young right winger has found himself on a line with Malkin and Chris Kunitz, a makeshift second line created upon the center's return from injury, and a combination that Sullivan did well to stick with despite some ineffective play early in its tenure.

As the following chart displays, Kunitz led all players in terms of possession over the course of the Eastern Conference Final, with Rust and Malkin not far behind.

The success of this line late in the series against Tampa Bay, and particularly in Game 7, will make the Sharks question their defensive deployment, because, as has already been stated, there's only so much coverage to go around.

Cole - Schultz

A season-ending injury suffered by Trevor Daley in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final has brought Justin Schultz from the NHL's basement all the way up to hockey's biggest stage.

The former Edmonton Oiler, who was added prior to the trade deadline, had not seen NHL playoff action prior to this season, and is averaging only 13 minutes of ice time through nine postseason games.

Schultz did, however, record a pair of assists against the Lightning, and has been a positive possession player with a Corsi rating of 50.75 in five-on-five play.

Schultz has been paired with Ian Cole, who has recorded two assists in 18 games, and whose Corsi rating sits slightly under even (48.17). For those who put stock in the stat, Cole is sitting at plus-seven for the playoffs, while Schultz is a plus-three.

Make no mistake, the heavy lifting on defense will be undertaken by the likes of Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Ben Lovejoy and Olli Maatta. But if this third pairing can hold its own in the defensive end while occasionally chipping in offensively, the Penguins might actually start to fly.

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Washington Capitals farmhand Madison Bowey appeared to direct a homophobic slur at Toronto Marlies forward Kasperi Kapanen in Game 4 of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference Final on Friday night.

The exchange happened while the Hershey Bears defender was being escorted off the ice for targeting Kapanen's head with an ugly elbow along the boards.

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization is reviewing the game tape and will pursue further discipline, a source told Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.

Kapanen did not return following the blow.

Albany Devils forward Dan Kelly was suspended 10 games earlier this month for a high hit on Marlies forward Andreas Johnson.

The Marlies won Friday's game, forcing a Game 5.

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San Jose Sharks forward Matt Nieto will use the off-days leading up to the Stanley Cup Final to get back into game shape, as he "absolutely" expects to be an option versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Nieto's been out of action since Game 6 against the Nashville Predators when he suffered an upper-body injury after colliding with the goal post, but says his recovery's on schedule for a return soon.

"It's progressed well," Nieto said, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. "I felt really good out there today and people were roughing it up, so it was good."

He added, "I've been shooting the puck fine, and passing and moving great, so to take that next step was a good feeling."

Before the injury, Nieto was on the Sharks' third line with Chris Tierney and Joel Ward. He's scored three points in 11 postseason games.

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In his selection to represent Canada at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, Brad Marchand cracked the most competitive, formidable roster the sport can offer.

And now he's out to show why.

Shortly after he was officially tabbed Friday, Marchand said he was incredibly honored to have been chosen to wear the red and white - and, on a more personal level, acknowledged the opportunity he has to show hockey circles that he's matured in his profession and really is among the game's elite.

"It's something that I think we all take a lot of pride in, and something that is - it's not an easy accomplishment," Marchand said, according to CSN's Joe Haggerty.

He added, "I think being part of a team like this is on a different level, and people may give a little more respect to that fact and may look at more of the kind of player I am, other than just the stuff they've seen in the past, with the hits and being a pest and stuff like that. Maybe those people will realize that I'm an OK hockey player, and I do play the game as well."

Though he might still feel stigmatized for his previous transgressions - which include suspensions, dives, and myriad cheap shots - Marchand's latest stat sheet should be validation enough. He scored the second-most goals among Canadians this season and emerged as a truly dominant defensive winger at even strength, as well as on the penalty kill in tandem with fellow national Patrice Bergeron.

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Bodie Roethlisberger is getting accustomed to winning immediately.

Ben Roethlisberger's third child was born Thursday morning, and the family was overjoyed to welcome him into the world.

Each of them showed their support for the Stanley Cup-bound Pittsburgh Penguins, displaying team attire in a bedside family photo.

The quarterback has won two Super Bowls during his career for the Steelers, so establishing a standard early seems imperative for Roethlisberger and his growing brood.

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In a feverish fifteen-minute stretch Friday evening, roster submissions from those responsible for the North American entries at the World Cup of Hockey's rebirth were announced within just moments of one another.

That chaos quickly became confusion for many, as a handful of elite talents - some still competing, and others who move the needle for the league - weren't selected to represent their national teams at the NHL-branded commercial showcase.

Now, with our bearings, we present the first and second all-snub rosters.

First Team

Taylor Hall - One of the league's premier left wingers and the second-highest scorer at his position among countrymen last season, Hall wasn't rewarded for his prominent role in back-to-back wins at the World Championship for Hockey Canada.

Tyler Johnson - Small man, big-game contributor. Johnson's outrageous 20-goal, 40-point output in 43 playoff games over the last two seasons is 10 more points than any player named to a North American roster.

Phil Kessel - Pittsburgh's leading scorer and his country's top producer at the last best-on-best international competition - the 2014 Sochi Olympics - Kessel, by virtue of his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, might be the biggest snub on the board. Kessel's racked up 55 points since his former teammate and USA selection James van Riemsdyk last found the back of the net.

Kris Letang - No defender's had a greater impact on his team than Letang since Mike Sullivan took the reins in Pittsburgh in the middle of December. Only Crosby, Thornton, Kane, and Kopitar have more regular-season points than Letang since that mark. And, oh yeah, he's the only headliner on a no-name defense set to drop the puck on the Stanley Cup Final.

P.K. Subban - One of the NHL's greatest personalities and with the talent to match, Subban's apparently fallen out of favor with Hockey Canada despite being one of just four at his position with over 200 points over the last four seasons. Like Letang, he's at a disadvantage as a right-shooting defender.

Second Team

Alex Galchenyuk - Only the greatest goal-scorer of a generation, Alex Ovechkin, found the back of the net more once teams reconvened after the All-Star break.

Ryan O'Reilly - One of the more well-rounded players in the NHL, he's an asset to even the most talented of rosters. He led Buffalo in scoring in his first season, but his finest work might have been in the defensive zone, helping rescue a penalty-killing unit that jumped 22 slots in the overall performance standing.

Corey Perry - He checked off all the boxes: a premier NHL goal-scorer with contrasting skills, existing chemistry with a previously chosen player, and a history of coming through for his country. It was Perry - not Getzlaf - who was producing when Anaheim struggled for the first two-and-a-half months.

Mark Giordano - Considered to have an advantage because of the direction his blade takes, Giordano might have been denied due to something else out of his control: He doesn't share the ice with one of the league's greatest. It's hard to imagine Jake Muzzin making Canada's top seven if he didn't have regular reps with Drew Doughty.

Justin Faulk - An Olympian two seasons ago and still up-and-coming, Faulk is one of his country's more talented defenders - period.

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