Bonino 'probably' out tonight with illness

RALEIGH, N.C. — Fatigue seems to be the least of Mike Sullivan's worries as the Penguins prepare to play the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at PNC Arena.

He's preoccupied with trying to get the Penguins' power play out of a monthlong slump against the league's top-ranked penalty kill, and he'll likely have to do it without Nick Bonino, who Sullivan said "probably" won't play tonight because of an illness.

But this not the first time Sullivan has been forced to get creative with his line pairings.



The Penguins have battled various health problems over the past six weeks, including a bout of illness that forced a handful of players out of the lineup at various points. But losing Bonino, who traveled with the team and has a locker set up in the visitors' locker room at PNC Arena, against the Hurricanes is particularly difficult.

"He does a lot for us," Sullivan said following Tuesday's morning skate. "He plays in a lot of key situations. He’s a penalty-killer. He’s a good two-way centerman. He plays on one of the power play-units. He plays in a lot of situations, so we’re going to have to use different people to fill those types of roles. It will be an opportunity for other guys to step up."

Bonino centers the Penguins' second power play unit and is second on the team in time on the penalty kill, logging more than 136 minutes this season. Sullivan faced an easy decision when searching for Bonino's replacement when the Penguins have a man advantage.

Matt Cullen centered the second power-play unit during Tuesday's morning skate, leading a pairing that also included Jake Guentzel and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins' penalty kill could be a critical component in the return to PNC Arena, but opportunities may be difficult to come by.

The Hurricanes have been called for the fewest minor penalties in the NHL. They're killing those at a rate of 86.6 percent. The Penguins, meanwhile, have scored on just three of their last 24 power play chances this month, though their power play ranks sixth in the league this season.

Sidney Crosby said those struggles aren't much of a concern because the Penguins need to simply do a better job of executing, but he stressed how the Hurricanes' "aggressive" penalty kill can wreak havoc.

"We just have to outwork the other team’s penalty kill," Crosby said. "We should be able to create and give us more time in the zone. I think just our work ethic and executing, getting into the zone will go a long way to give us more time to make plays."

Replacing Bonino on the penalty kill is equally challenging. Cullen is third on the team in minutes played when the Penguins are shorthanded. The Penguins could turn to Eric Fehr more often or give Tom Kuhnhackl more playing time after his impressive two-game stretch last week.

The penalty kill, though, has been less of an issue as of late. The Penguins have killed 23 of 25 power plays in February and the Hurricanes rank last in the NHL in goals scored this season. Missing another key player could be challenging after the Penguins were clearly exhausted during the loss to the Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.

They had played four games in less than six days and are battling through injuries. Sullivan said on Tuesday there is no update on Bryan Rust, who is out indefinitely with an arm injury suffered against the Avalanche on Feb. 9. Conor Sheary has not returned to practice since he was ruled out for 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz are also out with injuries.

Carl Hagelin shrugged off the notion that the Penguins are hitting the dog days of the 82-game season. He said the players are more rested than usual because of the All-Star break and the bye week during the first week of January.

"I think this year we’ve had a lot of time off with Christmas break, All-Star break and the bye week, so we shouldn’t be a team that’s tired," Hagelin said. "We should have fresh legs and that’s what we’re going to show today."

That will be needed against the Hurricanes' aggressive penalty kill. That unit is led by Jordan Staal and includes physically-imposing defensemen Ron Hainsey and Jaccob Slavin — both of whom have long reach to clear pucks from in front of goalie Cam Ward.

But Sullivan is confident that whoever is playing will be able to handle the challenge the Hurricanes present.

"They put power plays under duress and they force you to make plays under pressure," Sullivan said. "We’re going to have to be prepared to make the puck work. We're going to have to support the puck well and we’ve got to be ready to handle their aggression."