Kovacevic: All these East Division bruisers are building blocks, too

There's zero good that comes from Evgeni Malkin going down.

Or from learning that Teddy Blueger will be gone for weeks.

Or from being on the bad end of a brutal call, as the Penguins were when Brandon Tanev's major boarding penalty wound up unduly, unjustly shaping their 2-1 loss to the Bruins on this Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.

If anything, if all three of those developments could be stacked atop seeing a season-peak six-game winning streak end against a reeling opponent that's bumping up against them in the standings and deployed a goaltender making his NHL debut ... yeah, that's a hat trick and a half of big-time bummers.

And yet, there was this from the captain afterward:

"I thought we competed hard," Sidney Crosby came back when I'd asked about the spirit shown throughout by both sides. "Usually, with an effort like that, you're rewarded."

Not this time. A cheesy long-range flick by Boston's Trent Frederic through a twin-screen in front of Casey DeSmith broke the tie with 12:53 remaining. 

"You know, right from Case all the way out," Sid continued, "from the D to the forwards, we competed hard and gave ourselves a chance. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way, but it was a pretty tight, intense, playoff-type hockey game ... back-to-back games like that, really ... we just didn't get enough done."

Again, not this time.

But I'll print it right here: These games, in general, are robust pluses for these Penguins.

As is, for that matter, this extraordinary grind within the the East Division, the NHL's very best. Sure, the schedule's been relentlessly demanding with a faceoff every other night against a handful of the league's deepest, most dynamic teams -- remember, the bulk of the games with the Sabres and all of the games with the Devils are still to come -- but I'd argue it'll be just as rewarding by the time it's done.

If it isn't already.

Check this out: The Islanders are 19-7-4, the Capitals are 19-6-4, and they're two of the top four teams in the league, just behind the two from Florida. The Islanders have been the hottest team around, winning nine in a row ... until losing on this same night to the Capitals, who've now won six in a row themselves.

In the Islanders' past 20 games, they've lost only four times. Three times to the Penguins and this one just now to the Capitals.

In the Capitals' past 17 games, they've lost only four times. Twice to the Penguins.

Overall, the Penguins are 8-4 against these two teams.

This is why, back when some saw being in the East as a cross to bear, I was stressing the opposite: Whichever team emerges from this division to reach the Eastern Conference final will be ready for anyone and anything. Because they'll have no choice but to improve every step of the way. And if they don't, as the Flyers are now experiencing with Carter Hart's ongoing disintegration, all it takes is one facet to go awry, one lousy stretch, and it can all go poof.

That, if anyone asks me, is the No. 1 reason for the Penguins' surge. They've had no choice but to sharpen up, to get better collectively and individually, and they've very much done that.

Which is why, when I praise a team-wide effort like this one against the Bruins, I'm not thinking about some contrived eye-rolling cliches, the mythical moral victory or any other intangibles. Rather, it's about -- repeating for emphasis -- getting better.

Listen to Mike Sullivan.

"I was proud of the group and how hard we competed tonight," he fairly beamed. "I think this group has a certain resilience to them that they show night in and night out. And that's an important attribute to have to win in this league. That's what we told them after the game."

Listen to Mark Jankowski describe the home team's locker room at the second intermission, following Malkin's injury, Tanev's ejection and other snarly stuff to that stage of the game.

"We wanted to battle for each other, and that's what we talked about," he began. "Unfortunately, it didn't go our way, but I thought we showed a lot of fight, being down a couple of key players. I liked our battle."

Yep. Same here. And because they put up that battle, they'll be that much more prepared for the next.

• I was going to invest this full column into the Tanev hit, but I couldn't come up with anything more creative than the usual insults for all concerned.

I mean, it's a clean hit:

Every bit as clean as the one Tinordi put on Malkin:

In fact, Malkin's visibly closer to the boards at the point of contact than Tinordi was on the Tanev hit. The sole difference is that Malkin isn't off balance, as Tinordi is when he's dumping the puck while on a single blade. (Look up there again, and see that only his left skate's down.)

What's to debate?

• I don't believe the on-ice officials wanted to make this call, certainly not Francois St. Laurent, who was no more than 15 feet away and looking right at it but still kept his right arm down without the slightest flinch. But this weird new NHL rule that allows for replay reviews of possible major penalties -- I'm not making this up -- doesn't apply unless the major's first called on the ice.

What a league.

It never occurred to anyone, I presume, that the on-ice officials could be intelligent enough to decide on their own if/when it's an appropriate time to phone Toronto for help.

• Sid was gently critical of the NHL for, in his eyes, failing to inform players of guidelines for legal and illegal checks. And I'll bet this generates particularly big headlines north of the border, where every hockey controversy is magnified.

Realistically, Sid didn't say much that would get any attention if it weren't coming from Sid.

“I don’t think he had any intent there,” he'd say regarding Tanev. "I hope Tinordi’s OK. He went in pretty awkward. But I don’t think there was any intent. I thought he hit him clean. He hit him timely as far as the puck being there. Tinordi did go in awkwardly, so you never like to see that, but I didn’t think it warranted a five-minute. The ref are out there trying to protect us, keep us safe. I get it. But I didn’t see this one that way. I hope as players we get some clarity on what’s a good hit and what’s not. When you’re out there playing, it’s important that you know that.”

The primary flaw with Sid's thought process: He's presuming anyone at the league level knows what the hell they're doing.

If I had to guess, based on the dinosaur mentality that remains in the NHL Department of Player Safety, they weighed that Tinordi was the one who hit Malkin in this game or that Tinordi was the one who'd cross-checked Blueger late in the game the previous night and, thus, Tanev's check must've been malicious in its intent. As opposed to, you know, Tanev constantly wanting to hit everyone.

• Wondering what Tanev thought of all this?

• All that said, never forget: The Penguins benefit far more from referees calling games too tightly than the reverse.

• One replay of Malkin's collision with Tinordi indicates his left knee colliding with Tinordi's leg. That'd explain why he was slow to get up after the initial fall, then slow with the skating back to the bench.

Team's off Wednesday, so there'll be no further word on his status until Thursday, but it's certainly encouraging that he did return for one more shift before exiting for good. That alone can't happen without medical clearance.

• The vexing question is replacing Blueger. My goodness, who does that? Jankowski?

I don't believe Ron Hextall will operate anywhere near as reflexively as Jim Rutherford did, but I can't be convinced there aren't bottom-six centers superior to Jankowski available for a half-hearted song. Time to rev up the cart.

• Tinordi, formerly with the Penguins, is a good dude, and he was the one who did the Lord's work and took on Tom Wilson after the latter's filthy hit that felled Brandon Carlo. Boston coach Bruce Cassidy called Tinordi's injury "upper body, not great," and already ruled him out of his team's next game Thursday in Buffalo. Here's wishing him well.

• That Cassidy had no complaint about the hit wasn't a surprise.

One can live a lifetime and not count on a single hand the number of times the Boston media doesn't paint its teams as being wronged. But credit where due: Every single account I could find of this hit completely absolved Tanev. Conor Ryan of the Boston Sports Journal wrote, "It seemed, at worst, a two-minute penalty for charging on a play with just a very, very unfortunate result, but the officials still handed Boston a gift." Andy Brickley, color commentator on the NESN broadcast, observed, “It’s an unfortunate result but a good hockey hit.”

Then there was old friend Ryan Whitney spittin' this:

• The whole event was worth the five-minute kill of Tanev's penalty, as I'm guessing the 2,800 on hand who stood and roared throughout might agree:

Heard from a bunch of readers down in the bowls afterward. Amazing scene, especially after the yearlong absence. Loudest the place has been since the return.

DeSmith, on that subject: "Yeah, that was a great moment, to have the crowd behind us like that."

• Next up are three games against the Devils, two against the Sabres. In case anyone was wondering why I chose this compelling lede subject now rather than, oh, a week from now.

• These were cool:

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! 

Oh, and be smart!