Is Patric Hornqvist's 'tough areas' style sustainable?

NASHVILLE – Is there a better person to compare differences between current Penguins goal scorer Patric Hornqvist and former Pens sniper James Neal than the best hockey player on the planet?

No, seriously, Sidney Crosby gave a unique perspective when asked Saturday morning before Hornqvist and Penguins faced off against the Predators and Neal. Both Hornqvist and Neal were traded for each other last summer.

“With Patty, he’s probably more of a guy who goes to the tough areas and goes to the crease a little bit more. I think Neal is probably more of a shooter. He likes to find soft areas in the slot, and with his shot, he doesn’t need to be maybe as close. I think he can get away with being a little further out and getting lost in coverage and that kind of thing,” Crosby said. “Other than that, they both play with an edge, they both aren’t afraid to be physical when they need to, so I would say they’re very similar except the only difference I would say is one probably does their body of work closer to the net, and the other guy further out trying to get lost in coverage.”

While Crosby’s assessment might be in slight contrast to the Predators bobblehead promotion box for Neal, which said he goes to the “hard areas” (Saturday is James Neal bobblehead night at Bridgestone Arena) it’s spot on for Hornqvist.

The Swede, who was the last pick in the 2005 draft, has eight points, in six games mostly playing on Crosby’s line, and is seen as a welcome change from Neal for Pittsburgh.

Hornqvist stands in front of the net with reckless abandon, taking beatings from both from defensemen and flying vulcanized rubber, while Neal was seen by the Penguins as a guy who shied away from those spots. Though this is all well and good for the Pens right now, the question is whether it can suffice for the remaining four years of Hornqvist’s five-year $21.25 million contract.

“(The front of the net) is not an easy place to go to,” Crosby said. “You definitely have to realize you’re going to pay a price to go there, but there’s also some good rewards too. You’re going to get pucks there and find ways to put the puck in the net from there. You have to pay a price to go there, there’s no doubt, but there’s some good rewards for going there too.”

Then again, the 5-foot-11, 189-pound Hornqvist is a bit of a different breed. He almost seems to enjoy taking a beating from defensemen, goaltenders and pucks.

In practices during his five years in Nashville, he would do drills with defenseman Shea Weber (he of the 106 mile per-hour shot), where Weber would just blast from the blueline and Hornqvist would try to tip them past the goaltender. He also did this, generally, with a big smile on his face.

“I can’t speak for being in front of my shot, but he has never shied away, be it practice or games,” Weber said. “I think he’s such a competitive guy and wants to win so bad and wants to score and help the team, he’ll do whatever it takes.”

There is one shining example of a prototype for Hornqvist, who played well for several years. Hall of Fame forward Dino Ciccarelli played 1,232 games and scored 608 goals. And as a 36-year-old, he  notched 35 scores in 77 games with Tampa.

So far in his 369-game career, the only season Hornqvist missed significant time was the 2012-13 lockout year. The lowest amount of games he played in a full season was 76. Neal’s was 59, which happened twice.

And as long as Hornqvist continues to produce, score and stay healthy, his teammates don’t seem to mind his firebrand style.

“It’s part of a willingness to go to that area and find pucks and battle for them,” Penguins forward Chris Kunitz said. “We always knew playing against him he was a guy who could score within 12 feet -- pucks always bounced to him and came to him. For the first six games, he has been really good if not excellent for our team in those areas.”