CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins' core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang is getting older.
They won't have that many more playoff runs together as a group.
Crosby said after Wednesday's practice at the Lemieux Complex that it's not something that the core has discussed much heading into this latest opportunity.
"I think it's enough when you have to prepare and get ready to start," Crosby said. "We're excited. We've been fortunate enough to share a lot of playoff games together, and important ones. I think you try to cherish every opportunity and make the most of it. Regardless of what the situation is, you just have to take advantage of the opportunities when you get them, and we have one. We'll look to do something with it."
The Penguins have had early exits from the postseason in the last two years. They lost in four games in the best-of-five qualifying round to the Canadiens last year in the bubble. In 2019, they were swept by the Islanders.
"To have those two experiences fresh in your minds, I think will add some motivation for guys who were part of it," Crosby said. "But it's a new group, and we've played some good hockey down the stretch. I think we need to bring that and another level here when the playoffs start."
The Penguins will have to get through the Islanders -- the team that swept them the last time they played a best-of-seven series -- to get out of the first round for the first time since 2018. The Penguins went 6-2 in the regular season series with the Islanders, a record tied with that against the Capitals for their best against any of the East Division playoff teams.
"Looking back, they were some pretty close games there," Crosby said of the earlier meetings this season with the Islanders. "I think we were patient, some of the games there were pretty tight all the way through. We found a way to get some timely goals. I think it's a team that doesn't give up a lot, so you've got to be patient. When you get your chances, you've got to capitalize."
Mike Sullivan said that through the past five postseasons he's been head coach of the Penguins, his experience has been that Crosby elevates his game this time of year.
"He wants to win in the worst way," Sullivan said. "When he comes to the rink, he exudes that. Just the way he carries himself, the way he interacts with his teammates both on the ice and off the ice. I think our players recognize it. Certainly our coaching staff does. I think that's part of what makes Sid the leader that he is. When the stakes get high, he's at his very best."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Practice was divided into three segments. The main group worked on some drills on the second sheet of ice, and the extra players worked on the main sheet. The power play group then moved over to the main sheet, while the non-special teams players worked on breakouts on the second sheet.
The Penguins broke into two groups for a scrimmage of two 20-minute halves with a running clock and no special teams. These were the lines:
Team Gold:
Zach Aston-Reese-Teddy Blueger-Brandon Tanev
Jason Zucker-Freddy Gaudreau-Evan Rodrigues
Sam Lafferty-Radim Zohorna
Mike Matheson-Cody Ceci
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
Team Black:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jared McCann-Jeff Carter-Kasperi Kapanen
Colton Sceviour-Mark Jankowski
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Mark Friedman-Chad Ruhwedel
Juuso Riikola-Yannick Weber
• The Penguins would play four-on-four when the third lines came out, rather than double-shifting one of the other forwards to have a complete line.
• Tristan Jarry played both halves of the scrimmage for Team Black. Emil Larmi and Alex D'Orio split the game for Team Gold.
• The scrimmage was tied 3-3 after the first half. Team Black scored three unanswered goals in the second half to win.
• Casey DeSmith and Evgeni Malkin didn't participate in the scrimmage, but were full participants in the earlier parts of the practice. Sullivan said it was a "coach's decision" to keep both out of the scrimmages, and didn't elaborate.
• Evan Rodrigues, Brandon Tanev, and Mike Matheson were all full-contact participants and took part in the scrimmage. Matheson is still wearing a full cage.
• Max Lagace was absent from practice. With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton having two games remaining on the schedule this weekend, it's possible that he was sent down to close out the season there. Sullivan didn't mention Lagace when running through the injury updates.
• Crosby, Kris Letang, and D'Orio were the last players on the ice, well after the scrimmage ended. Just another sign of how driven the core is this time of year. Also pretty cool to see D'Orio working with those two, after starting the season in the ECHL with the Nailers the way he did. He's worked his way up here and earned every opportunity, and it's been a lot of fun to follow his journey.
