February 13, 2011, HockeyPrimeTime.com examination of the Pittsburgh Penguins defense corps

Short-handed Penguins turn to defense

Atlantic

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, February 12, 2011 06:18

The absence of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has put an onus on the Penguins' blue line. Just ask around the NHL – it's deeper than you think. The podium could have been anywhere, the question from any reporter, the answer from any NHL head coach in the Pittsburgh Penguins' foreseeable future. This happened to be John Tortorella speaking at Madison Square Garden, but it's a scene to get used to when the Penguins roll through town. The Rangers head coach was asked whether his team would have an air of overconfidence playing a team about to take the ice without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. AROUND THE ATLANTIC Tortorella scoffed. “That's still a good hockey team over there. Their back end is one of the better back ends in the league," Tortorella said in his pre-game press conference before the Penguins’ 4-3 shootout win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. "I may sound stupid, but when you have Crosby and Malkin, I still think their back end is a really important part of that club.” The unit’s significance has increased over the last six weeks due to long-term injuries to Crosby and Malkin. Crosby has not even practiced after experiencing concussion symptoms following hits from Washington’s David Steckel and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman in early January. Malkin suffered tears in his right ACL and MCL a week ago in a win against the Buffalo Sabres. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Malkin will miss the remainder of the season. For an organization whose motto is Stanley Cup Or Bust, this spring’s run will rest on the shoulders of defense unit. They are aware of that. “You lose that kind of scoring touch, you try to find ways to create opportunities," defenseman Paul Martin told HPT.com. "At the same time, our team plays best when we stick to our plan and do the things we need to do. It is tough to have them out but we’ve been able to get some wins.” The Penguins, like every NHL team, play a variation of the neutral-zone trap. Without their top two centers they have tightened up in the neutral and defensive zones. Before an anomalous 9-3 loss to the Islanders on Friday, opponents were averaging just 2.07 goals in 15 games dating to Jan. 6, the first that Crosby missed. Pittsburgh went 9-5-1 during that stretch. Malkin missed five games with an injured knee and sinus infection before coming back against the Sabres. The Pens were 4-1 in those games despite averaging 2.23 goals scored. So where does the Pens' defense corps rank? Is it among the league’s best? Does it receive enough praise for its success? Do they feel they get enough respect from their peers? “I personally don’t pay any attention to that,” Martin said. “I like our corps a lot. We don’t need to hear anything just to make sure we do our job every night.” The seven Pittsburgh defensemen who have played this season – Martin, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Brooks Orpik, Zbynek Michalek, Deryk Engelland, Ben Lovejoy and Andrew Hutchinson – have combined for 124 points and are plus-52 in 225 man-games. Notes A 12-goal hockey game broke out in the middle of the Penguins and Islanders' boxing match Friday. Among 21 misconducts and 346 penalty minutes, the game included another fight involving Pittsburgh goalie Brent Johnson. Expect a 10-game suspension for Eric Godard, who left the Penguins' bench to participate in a third-period altercation in the Isles' 9-3 win. … The Islanders nearly had another goalie fight in their first game after losing Rick DiPietro for four-to-six weeks with facial fractures and a swollen knee suffered in a previous bout with Johnson. Kevin Poulin was forearmed to the ice by Ottawa’s Robin Lehner at the end of the second period Saturday night. Poulin told reporters after the Isles’ 5-3 win that he was skating to the bench to get a swig of water before going to the room and had no idea what prompted Lehner’s act. … Devils G Martin Brodeur went on injured reserve Feb. 7 with a sprained right knee. Brodeur injured the knee in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Canadiens in the goaltender’s hometown of Montreal. … If anyone thought that the Flyers would slow down following the All-Star Break, it hasn’t happened. Philly topped Pacific-leading Dallas, 3-1 Saturday night. The Flyers are 3-1 in the three games since All-Star Game. … The antithesis of the Flyers resides in Midtown Manhattan. The Rangers are 0-4-1 following the break. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photos by Getty Images

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