Will Richards be the answer for Penner?

Will a pairing with Mike Richards be the answer to getting Dustin Penner’s offense going? It wasn’t the first time around, before Penner got moved into a third-line role with center Jarret Stoll, but the hope — could it be called re-hope? — is that Richards’ puck-handling and playmaking skills will be more beneficial to Penner as a finisher and help get him set up for scoring chances. Terry Murray was asked about this theory, the idea that Richards could take an active role in getting Penner going.

MURRAY: “Most important for a hockey player, I think, is to be responsible for your own game, get yourself going and bring that game that you have to bring every night in order to be a successful player. Some guys can take on a little bit more responsibility. One thing with Kopitar and with Richards, they really want to have the puck on their stick. I think that’s important, to have somebody who can transport the puck through the middle of the ice on a pretty consistent basis. And I saw Stolly do it last night, but Richards and Kopi have a very special talent for being able to transport the puck, and both are good playmakers. I feel that the lack of scoring opportunities right now is kind of the concern I have.’’