The Penguins are in playoff position, currently third in the Metropolitan Division, but with just two games remaining they have yet to clinch. However, they can take care of that not-so little bit of business with a win tonight over the Red Wings or if the Canadiens lose in Washington.
The Penguins should have Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup and might have Kris Letang back, too. Both are game-time decisions, according to Mike Sullivan. Malkin has missed the last eight games, Letang the last four.
Letang getting some work in this AM. Appears he might be game-time decision. #dkps #penguins pic.twitter.com/8W93FpaJYF
— Chris Bradford (@PghBradford) April 4, 2019
Needless to say, the Penguins will be glad to have their No. 1 defenseman back. You simply can't replicate what Letang provides. In the three games he's been out, the Penguins have gone 1-2 and have scored just five goals. The power play has also dried up, going 0-for-7. The penalty kill has allowed two goals on just five chances. Letang also brings intangibles like leadership and 13 years of experience.
If the playoffs did begin today, conceivably half the defense corps could consist of players with less than 15 games of postseason experience. Erik Gudbranson has 13 playoff appearances to his resume, while Marcus Pettersson has just four. And that's four more than Zach Trotman, who has yet to appear in any.
Obviously, not all three will play beyond Saturday's regular-season finale against the Rangers as Sullivan decides who will be his six defensemen when the playoffs begin next week. To review: the coach will have his choice of Justin Schultz, Jack Johnson, Olli Maatta, Brian Dumoulin, Letang, Gudbranson, Pettersson and Trotman. Dumoulin will miss his second straight game tonight with a lower-body injury, though Sullivan reported after Thursday's morning skate that Dumoulin is progressing and remains day-to-day.
Gudbranson, Pettersson and Trotman might not have much actual playoff experience, but they do have the experience of the past five weeks or so. Due to Letang's injuries, he's missed 15 of the last 18 games, a young defenseman like the 22-year-old Pettersson and the inexperienced Trotman — just 83 NHL games over 9 professional seasons — have had to take on bigger roles and have thrived in them.
"It's fun to play those games, the big games," said Pettersson, who holds the distinction of having already played 82 games this season due to his time with the Ducks. "It's just something that you have to take it as it comes. You can't really flip a switch and it's 'go-time.' Every game is important for us."
Really, since the start of March, the Penguins have been in de-facto "playoff mode" as Sullivan has called it. They've gone 10-4-3 over that span and have had to scratch and claw their way to 97 points through 80 games, due in large part to their increased commitment to defending. Almost every game has been tight as 10 of their past 17 games have been decided by two goals or less.
Sullivan believes the Penguins' young defensemen can draw upon their recent experience and need to continue to play with that same urgency moving forward.
"It can only help them because the stakes are high and the games are so important, and that's the goal," Sullivan said. "As an athlete, you want to be your very best when the games are important and the games are on the line. We've been in that situation for a month now. We just have to continue to play with the urgency and commitment necessary to win in that environment."
And when the playoffs do come around against the Islanders, or whoever, the stakes will be raised even higher. If recent history is any indication, the Penguins will need more than just six defensemen. Everyone needs to be ready, Johnson was telling me.
"As it goes on, it just gets ratcheted up more and more," said Johnson, who has been part of four playoff teams but none that have advanced past the first round. "To us, this is playoffs. Then when you actually get to playoffs, it says 'Stanley Cup Playoffs' on the ice and buildings are sold out. There's towels and t-shirts and everything. It just builds up even more."
• Dylan Larkin is widely considered the fastest skater in the NHL outside of Connor McDavid. But Sullivan sounds most impressed with Larkin's teammate, Andreas Athanasiou. He is just one of a handful of speedsters on the young Red Wings, who carry a six-game winning streak into tonight.
"He's good at getting behind defensemen," Sullivan was saying. "He tends to get a breakaway every game he plays, whether it's against us or somebody else."
Athanasiou, who has 30 goals and 23 assists in 74 games, has points in five of the last six games, including an assist against the Penguins on Tuesday. Though his team played a good game at Detroit, Sullivan says the Penguins can do a better job of limiting the quality of chances and have to stay on the right side of pucks to contend with the Wings' speed.
• Matt Murray will make his ninth straight start. He is 1-4 with an .864 save percentage and 3.45 GAA in his career vs. Detroit.
• The Penguins held an optional skate. Among those not taking the ice were Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. Kessel has three goals in two games against Detroit this season.
• The Red Wings also held a very optional skate. Afterward, coach Jeff Blashill said that defenseman Luke Witkowski will be questionable for tonight.
• Jimmy Howard is expected to make his fifth straight start. In his career, he is 7-2-1 with a .924 save percentage and 2.48 GAA vs. Pittsburgh, including a 38-save performance in Detroit's 4-1 victory over the Penguins on Tuesday night.
• Here's a guess on the Penguins' lines and pairs based on Wednesday's practice and a hunch:
McCann-Crosby-Guentzel
Rust-Malkin-Kessel
Simon-Bjugstad-Hornqvist
Blueger-Cullen-Wilson
Maatta-Letang
J. Johnson-Schultz
Pettersson-Gudbranson
• Here's Detroit's likely lineup:
Bertuzzi-Larkin-Mantha
Helm-Athanasiou-Hirose
Kuffner-Ehn-Frk
Puempel-Turgeon-Witkowski
Kronwall-Hronek
Hicketts-Bowey
McIlrath-Chelios
BRADFORD'S VIEW
I suspect both Malkin and Letang will play tonight as the Penguins look to not only avenge their loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday but, most importantly, seal their 13th straight playoff appearance.
Letang took to the ice in a full-contact sweater, though he took little more than slight jostling in a morning skate setting. Typically, a player has to go through a full practice to be cleared to return, but this is Letang we're talking about. Different rules apply.
Here's hoping that he plays it safe, though. On Wednesday, Letang admitted that he might have rushed himself back into the lineup after missing 11 games with his prior upper-body injury. In his first game back on March 19 at Carolina, he went out and immediately played 26:45, followed by games of 27:00 and 24:26. While it's commendable that Letang wants to help his team, the last thing the Penguins need is to go through the playoffs without their top defenseman. This isn't 2017 anymore.