DENVER -- This road trip would be a difficult one for even a fully-healthy Penguins team.
The Penguins are here in Denver for the start of the final multi-game road trip of the season, a trip that opens with a game against the Avalanche on Wednesday and a game in Dallas against the Stars on Thursday.
Their opponents are two of the top teams in the Western Conference, and they've been hot. The Avalanche sit No. 2 in the Central Division and are riding a six-game win streak and a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. The Starts sit atop the Central Division with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games.
It's a battered Penguins team coming to Denver, with two-third of their regular defensemen on the shelf in Jeff Petry, Marcus Pettersson, Jan Rutta and Dmitry Kulikov. That's in addition to Nick Bonino, who was a boost to the Penguins' six when acquired at the trade deadline but suffered a lacerated kidney in just his third game back in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins bring with them a four-game losing streak, a run that had them fall out of a playoff position on Monday after being surpassed by the Panthers for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators, Capitals and Sabres are all within five to six points from tying the Penguins in the standings themselves.
The Penguins need to make up ground in the standings, and they're going to have to do it against some difficult opponents with some key players missing from the lineup.
I asked Sidney Crosby after the Penguins' practice at Ball Arena on Tuesday what some of the keys are going to be to getting a win against this Avalanche team and getting back on track.
"I think just finding ways to get pucks to the back of the net," Crosby said. "For the most part, we've generated some good looks, some really good chances. Special teams are always going to be a big part whether you win or lose, so trying to win that battle. But at this point our urgency and desperation are there, it's just a matter of getting a few of those to go in."
That was the story in Monday night's loss to the Senators -- the Penguins definitely didn't have any trouble generating chances. The Penguins outshot Ottawa 49-21 and recorded 91 shot attempts to the Senators' 52. Senators goaltender Dylan Ferguson, who was in the ECHL just two seasons ago and was making his first NHL start, was the difference-maker.
Ferguson had a strong performance, but the Penguins know they could have done more to make those shots more of a threat.
"That kid had a hell of a game," Mark Friedman said. "I feel like we didn't take his eyes away quite a bit. That game last night, we played well and just didn't capitalize on our chances. We're looking forward to changing that tomorrow."
The defending Stanley Cup champions are a much tougher opponent than the Senators. Alexandar Georgiev is a much tougher goalie to solve. Mikko Rantanen, who leads the Avalanche in goals with 47, is coming into Wednesday's game riding an eight-game point streak. Cale Makar is coming off of a week in which he put up nine points in four games.
"It's kind of the same as Ottawa, they're so skilled up front and they're so fast," Friedman said. "You've got to do whatever you can to take away time and speed, right? It's the name of the game nowadays. The star power that they've got, it's going to be pretty tough. But we're going to be up for the challenge and it's going to be fun."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Casey DeSmith was absent from practice, Sullivan said afterward that he "wasn't feeling well" and went back to the hotel. He expects DeSmith to be fine for tomorrow's game.
• Emergency backup goaltender Mike Chiasson made the trip and filled in as the second goaltender in DeSmith's absence.
• Petry made the trip and skated on his own after practice. No signs of Rutta, Pettersson, Kulikov or Bonino.
• Bryan Rust took a Jason Zucker shot straight to the right hand in the middle of practice. He left the ice in pain, holding his right hand with the glove off. He was fuming, and threw his stick as he left the ice. He returned several minutes later and resumed his spot on the second power play, aside for a few shifts in which he rotated with Alex Nylander. I asked Rust about his hand after practice, and he said it was "Fine, I'll be fine."
• There were no line rushes at all. It was a relatively brief practice, only 20 minutes or so. Sullivan referred to it as "active recovery" and said that part of the motivation for practicing was getting the players acclimated to the altitude.
• Most of the practice was power play work. The top unit was Kris Letang, Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell, Jake Guentzel. The second unit was P.O Joseph, Mikael Granlund, Jeff Carter, Zucker, Rust, with Nylander taking a few runs in place of Rust.
• Taylor Fedun had a decent, quiet Penguins debut in Monday's loss, the first NHL game for the 34-year-old defenseman since the 2019-20 season. He finished with two shots on goal on four shot attempts and one blocked shot in 10:34 of ice time. When he was on the ice at five-on-five the Penguins outshot the Senators 10-3, second among Penguins defensemen behind only his partner Friedman.
"I thought he did pretty well," Sullivan said of Fedun. "I thought he played a steady, reliable game, which is what our expectation is of him. It's not an easy circumstance to be thrown into. I thought Feds did a good job."
Fedun was paired with Friedman a handful of games together during their time in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, so the pairing is familiar territory.
"It's great," Friedman told me of being paired with Fedun. "He's a pretty defensive guy, he allows me to get up and down the ice. I know that he's always going to be back there, it's a nice trust factor to have. The games we played together in Wilkes, it's been great. He's a smart defenseman, he's played a number of games in the NHL for a reason. He had a great game last game and hopefully we build off that tomorrow."
• Letang played a team-high 29:33 on Monday. Sullivan said, "The one thing I will say about Tanger is his fitness level is off the charts. If anybody can handle minutes, it's him."
• Evan Rodrigues won't be in the lineup for Colorado after being injured on Monday and entering concussion protocol. Crosby, asked what he remembers of Rodrigues in Pittsburgh, said, "He's really smart. I didn't realize playing against him the hands that he has. He's slick. The way he can hold onto the puck and make plays, he's got a great shot. The biggest thing that stood out playing with him is just his ability to hold onto the puck and make plays. He's really talented."
