The Penguins needed some help to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they got some last night.
The New York Islanders lost to Washington, 5-2, while the Florida Panthers lost to Toronto, 2-1, in overtime. While the Panthers loss does not mean as much to the Penguins since they did get a point in the standings, the Islanders loss is significant, because it means a Penguins victory tonight over Chicago would put them in sole possession of the second Wild Card, tied with the Panthers and a point ahead of the Islanders with one game to go. The Panthers still hold the tiebreaker edge over the Pens, so Pittsburgh would need two wins in their last two games plus another Panthers loss in order to climb into the first Wild Card.
For coach Mike Sullivan and Penguins, it means they are back in control of their own destiny in the playoff hunt. Two wins against the two worst teams in hockey, Chicago and Columbus, and they are in. Sullivan says he is focused on the Blackhawks tonight at PPG Paints Arena.
The news gets even better for the Penguins, with the return to the practice ice yesterday of a number of injured players. Forward Nick Bonino was a full participants after recovering from a lacerated kidney suffered March 9th. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov returned from a suspected foot injury. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson practiced as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury, but he is not eligible to return from long term injured reserve until Thursday’s game at Columbus. Forward Drew O’Connor practiced in a white non-contact jersey. Kulikov seems most likely to play tonight of all of the injured players. Sullivan says he plans to use the lineup he thinks will give the Pens the best chance to win against Chicago.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says the Penguins recent improved play comes down to what Sullivan always preaches: paying attention to the details.
The Pens and Blackhawks skate tonight at 7:30. The pregame airs on U92.5 FM and streaming at U92radio.com at 6:30.
For the third straight season and the 11th time overall, Crosby has been selected by his teammates as the Penguins’ most valuable player.
The Penguins also voted for Crosby, Kris Letang, and Jason Zucker as the recipients of the Players’ Player Award for leadership on and off the ice and dedication to teamwork. P.O. Joseph, the only rookie currently on the roster, was chosen as the rookie of the year.
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association selected Kris Letang as the Penguins’ nominee for the NHL’s Masterton Trophy for “perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
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