Sykora Scratched for Series Clincher

"I'm not playing. I'm surprised. He told me right before practice that I'm not playing."

That was Petr Sykora's announcement to reporters this morning after the pre-game skate. Coach Bylsma has decided to shake things up going into the pivotal fifth game tonight at Mellon Arena. Sykora, who has only scored twice in his past 21 games including playoffs, will be replaced by Miroslav Satan. Satan, who hasn't played an NHL game since March 3rd, will look to play along side Evgeni Malkin and Ruslan Fedotenko to start tonight's game, but Bylsma assured the press this morning that, like the last few games, the lines will be shuffled throughout the game. Sykora admitted to the press before game 4 that he felt he should have scored 4 or 5 times in the series so far, but his snake-bitten stick has yet to produce a goal this post-season. Although this comes in a pivotal game, Bylsma is making a good choice in getting Satan some exposure to the playoff atmosphere if he is needed later this spring. Sykora is the obvious choice when playing at his best, but it doesn't hurt to have another healthy winger pushing him for ice time to make him play with a little more urgency.

Also regarding tonight's lineup, defenseman Kris Letang will be a game time decision following a slight knock he suffered late in game 4. Philippe Boucher is set to take Letang's spot if deemed unfit to play. Letang's health has been questioned among Penguins' fans this year due to his consistency to take more hits than seems necessary. Maybe if he does not suit up tonight, he can take a leaf out of Gonchar's book as he watches from the press box.