Pittsburgh Penguins F Evgeni Malkin Out Long-Term: Wild-Card Spot at Risk
By Ryan Ritchie
Pittsburgh Penguins F Evgeni Malkin Out Six to Eight Weeks: Loss Puts Wild-Card Spot at Risk
Pittsburgh Penguins F Evgeni Malkin is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks with an upper body injury. The loss is devastating with 14 games remaining on the 2015-16 NHL schedule, and Pittsburgh barely clinging on to the top Wild-Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Sitting in 7th place, Pittsburgh is 36-24-8 with 80 points. They managed to topple the New York Rangers in a 5-3 victory on Sunday, with some unlikely candidates stepping up. Conor Sheary netted two goals while logging the least amount of minutes among all Pittsburgh players.
The Pens will need their secondary players to step up in a similar fashion down the stretch to write their ticket to the postseason.
To Pittsburgh’s credit, the remaining schedule should work to their favor. 13 of 14 games are against Eastern Conference opponents.
Pittsburgh 36-24-8: 80 points
*stats include Sunday afternoon’s games only, head-to-head record following overall record
03/15 vs NY Islanders
(37-21-8 82 points) 1-1-0
03/17 vs Carolina
(31-26-12 74 points) 2-1-0
03/19 at Philadelphia
(32-23-12 76 points) 1-0-0
03/20 vs Washington
(49-14-5 103 points) 1-2-0
03/24 vs New Jersey
(33-29-7 73 points) 2-1-0
03/26 at Detroit
(34-23-11 79 points) 2-0-0
03/27 at NY Rangers
(39-23-7 85 points) 1-1-0
03/29 vs Buffalo
(28-33-9 65 points) 2-0-0
03/31 vs Nashville
(34-22-13 81 points) 1-0-0
04/02 at NY Islanders
(37-21-8 82 points) 1-1-0
04/03 vs Philadelphia
(32-23-12 76 points) 1-0-0
04/05 at Ottawa
(32-30-8 72 points) 2-0-0
04/07 at Washington
(49-14-5 103 points) 1-2-0
04/09 at Philadelphia
(32-23-12 76 points) 1-0-0
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The remaining opponents boast a record of 349-244- 92 (50.95 win percentage/collecting points in 64.38 percent of games). Pittsburgh has a head-to-head record of 19-9-0 against the above teams in 2015-16.
Traditionally speaking, the Penguins are no stranger to playing long periods of time without one of its core pieces. Whether it be Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Kris Letang, Pittsburgh seems to find a way to come together as a team, and put together wins.
X-Factors Down the Stretch
Aside from the obvious candidates (Crosby, Kessel, and Letang), the Penguins will need added support from their secondary players. Conor Sheary did an excellent job Sunday, but the Pens need a few other bigger names to step up in the short-term. Some of those names might include:
Coming off a concussion, Hagelin has fit in nicely since coming over from Anaheim. He has three goals, three assists (six points) in his last eight games. Carl Hagelin is a speedy winger that does a good job taking opponents out of position, creating offensive space. He can get on top of opponents quickly and force them to make mistakes. Now he just needs to a way to get on the scoresheet more often over the last 14 games.
This responsible two-way forward has disappointed for the most part in 2015-16. Hefty expectations were set upon him following the trade for Brandon Sutter – Bonino is coming off a 39-point season in 2014-15 with Vancouver. Overall, he’s playing fairly well, and is a heavy contributor to Pittsburgh’s 6th place penalty kill ranking (83.5 percent). Like Hagelin, Bonino needs to find a way to get his name on the scoresheet more often down the stretch.
Beau Bennett (Injured Reserve)
Currently on the IR, Bennett only played 25 games for the Pens in 2015-16 before going down. He has 10 points over that span, three of which came on the powerplay. It was a great rebound after a sloppy 2014-15 performance, but promise quickly turned to disappoint when he was lost to an upper-body injury.
Bennett is best known for his offensive abilities, as he’s a creative winger that skates well. He might be the perfect candidate to replace Pittsburgh Penguins F Evgeni Malkin on the man advantage upon return – it couldn’t hurt to try with the Pens operating at 18.5 percent, good enough for 18th place on the PP.
Next: NHL Prospects & Role Players Stepping Up Down the Stretch
If the Pittsburgh Penguins plan to fend off teams such as Philadelphia and Carolina, it’s the above players that can be true difference makers (as long as the stars continue to do their job over the last 14 games). If the Pens begin to struggle or have trouble scoring goals, don’t be surprised if they turn to defensive prospect Derrick Pouliot. He had six assists after a recent 18-game stint, but hasn’t played the last four games. Pouliot is a slick puck-moving defender that creates a ton of offense from the back-end.