NEW YORK -- The Penguins have no shortage of players qualified to represent Pittsburgh in this month's NHL All-Star Game.
Sidney Crosby will be one, the league announced Wednesday, and Kris Letang might be another, depending on fan voting that begins Thursday.
An informal poll around the team's dressing room at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday morning before the 7-2 rout of the Rangers did little more than reveal the usual suspects: Crosby, Letang and Phil Kessel, mostly. All have been invited multiple times and while it's an honor to be named, the team trophy that gets handed out at end of the postseason is the one that matters most.
Among the All-Stars, though, perhaps no one is most deserving than Letang. But there's really only one individual award that has so far eluded him in his 13-year career: the Norris Trophy.
"We see what he does on a nightly basis," Crosby was saying. "He's a huge part of our team. I think seeing it every day you appreciate it. But yeah, I would say he's in the conversation among elite defensemen."
"When we lost (Justin Schultz) there, even more falls on his shoulders," Matt Cullen was telling me. "He's done a really good job. He's playing solid defensively and, obviously, offensively, he's so dynamic. It's really good to see him playing at the level he's at. I know not everything's been easy for him the last couple years, so it's good to see him playing the way he can."
Indeed, Letang is coming off his most trying season as a professional in 2017-18. He missed the entire '17 Cup run after undergoing neck surgery and his play suffered for it. Though he was still named an All-Star, Letang's game was mired by wild inconsistencies.
That's not been the case this season. He is in the top six in scoring by a defenseman with 33 points and he's a plus-11 on a team that has won six in a row entering tonight's game against the Rangers. He's also in the top four in ice time at 25:59 per game.
"The way he plays in all situations and what he does, he plays a lot of minutes for us every night," Jake Guentzel was telling me. "What he does, a lot of things go unnoticed, we're lucky to have him on our team."
There's a perception that Letang sometimes flies under the radar across the continent because he plays on a team that has Crosby, Kessel, Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin. But Jack Johnson, who has played both with and against Letang, says that's not the case in NHL dressing rooms.
"I've played against him a long time, going back to World Juniors, I appreciate his talent and what he's able to do," he said. "Maybe among media, he doesn't get it, but amongst his peers, he does. And I think that's what matters most to him."
This year's All-Star Game will be played Saturday, Jan. 26 in San Jose. For the players representing the Penguins, that means that they'll be spending three weekends out west. Prior to the All-Star weekend, the Penguins' bye week is preceded by a 10-day West Coast trip.
While some players have traditionally chosen to take the All-Star break to get away for a few days or to nurse an injury, Crosby said he plans to play in this year's game.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE INJURIES
• Penguins: Justin Schultz, defenseman, is out until mid-February with a fractured leg. Sullivan said Thursday that Schultz is progressing and that the next big step for him will be to get back on the ice.
• Rangers: None.
THE SKATE
• Not surprisingly, Matt Murray will be in goal. He is 5-0 in his career at the Garden in the regular season.
• If it weren't for David Quinn, Mike Sullivan may have never gone to Boston University. And if it weren't for Sullivan, Quinn might not be the coach of the Rangers.
Sullivan and Quinn's friendship goes back to the mid-1980s -- "seems a million years ago," Sullivan said -- when Quinn hosted the incoming freshman on a recruiting trip to BU.
"He's a big guy now but he wasn't a big guy when he got to BU but, boy, nobody worked harder than Sully," Quinn said. "He got every ounce out of his talent and was a longtime NHLer. I'm not surprised at the success he's had coaching because he's an astute hockey guy."
Last summer, it was Sullivan who helped advise Quinn, who'd been coaching their alma mater the previous five years, to take the NHL job in New York.
"Couldn't be happier for him," Sullivan said. "He's deserving of the opportunity he's been given here in New York. He's a real good coach. We've talked a lot of hockey over the years, he's done a good job here."
Besides the accents and the hair, there is another common thread: Jack Parker, their coach at BU.
Parker coached not only Sullivan and Quinn in the late '80's, but also Scott Young and Clark Donatelli, who are still coaching in the Penguins' organization.
"He's had a huge influence on all of us," Sullivan was saying of Parker. "A lot of his former players are still working in the game. I think his philosophies, his convictions, how he sees the game, and how it's played and the details associated with it, I think all of us have common philosophies that stem from him."
And some of that philosophy was tough love. Sullivan repeated his favorite line from his former coach:
"Let me explain this to you not so you can understand but so you can't possibly misunderstand. That was his line, if he dragged you down the hallway at Walter Brown Arena, that's pretty much what you were going to get."
• Bryan Rust will be a game-time decision but all indications are that he will play tonight after missing Monday night's game in Minnesota. Rust said the injury came as the result of an awkward fall late in the first period Saturday night in St. Louis. Prior to going out of the lineup, Rust had eight goals in his last nine games.
"It doesn't matter if you're playing well or playing poorly, anytime you're out for any period of time, it's frustrating," Rust said.
• With his speed alone, Carl Hagelin had been the perfect fit in Sullivan's system. He was also the perfect linemate for Malkin. As reported earlier, Malkin's current slump coincides with the the trade of Hagelin to the Kings in mid-November.
"I think the reasons we used (Hagelin) there, obviously, it was speed, he was good on the forecheck, good defensively," Sullivan said. "But I think Geno is surrounded by good players. He has what he needs to be successful. He's trending in the right direction and certainly an important player to us. There's no doubt, we know he's going to get going."
• After cancelling practice Tuesday, the Penguins held a full morning skate at MSG on Wednesday. It lasted a little over 20 minutes. All expected players were on hand.
• Jamie Oleksiak and Derek Grant appear to be the healthy scratches. Oleksiak, who has been out of the lineup since sustaining a concussion on Dec. 19, will miss his sixth straight game. Grant returned to the lineup Monday in Minnesota, his first action since Dec. 17.
• Prior to its renovation in 2013, Madison Square Garden had the reputation of having the NHL's worst ice surface. Speaking to players after Wednesday's skate, they said it's actually pretty good now.
• The Rangers are the last Metro Division team the Penguins have yet to face.
THE OTHER SIDE
• Scrunching his face up and tilting his head to the left side, Chris Kreider says through an exaggerated Boston accent, "You mean about the way he tahks and his mann-uh-isms?"
Yep, the Rangers forward definitely sees the similarities between his new coach, David Quinn, and Sullivan. For one, both preach and up-tempo style that players like to play in.
"They're younger guys, good teachers and, obviously, the Boston accent," said Kreider, a proud Boston College alum. "And both went to BU. So that's unfortunate."
Kreider is one of the few holdouts who was with the Blueshirts while Sullivan was an assistant under John Tortorella from 2009-13.
"I have nothing but good things to say about Mike," Kreider was telling me. "He was very helpful. Even when I signed out of college, he was talking to me all the time. A lot of coaching. Told me to look and watch at specific things inside of the game."
• The Rangers held a rare morning skate at the Garden. They usually hold game-day skates at their suburban practice facility.
• Despite being ranked 24th on the penalty kill, the Rangers believe they're making some progress. That said, against the NHL's fifth-ranked power play and one that's converted seven of its last eight, Quinn said his team's strategy is simple: "Our best penalty kill will be to not take penalties."
• Despite scoring 20 points (10 goals) Jimmy Vesey will be a healthy scratch, along with Tony DeAngelo. Filip Chytil and Fredrik Claesson will be back in the lineup for the Rangers, who are coming off a successful road trip of their own with wins over the Predators and Blues.
THE COMBINATIONS
• The Penguins' lines and pairings at Wednesday's skate:
Guentzel—Crosby—Rust
Simon—Malkin—Hornqvist
Pearson—Brassard—Kessel
Aston-Reese—Cullen—Sheahan
Dumoulin—Letang
Maatta—Riikola
Pettersson—Johnson
• And for the Rangers:
Kreider—Zibanejad—Fast
Namestnikov—Hayes—Zuccarrello
Buchnevich—Howden—Nieves
Chytil—Strome—McLeod
Staal—Pionk
Claesson—Shattenkirk
Skjei—McQuaid
THE SCHEDULE
Faceoff tonight is at 7:08 p.m. (ET) at Madison Square Garden. The Penguins have scheduled an off-day for Thursday. They will host the Jets at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night. DK, Taylor, and Sunday will take that one.
THE COVERAGE
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