Kris Letang and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Detroit Red Wings in a must-win game for both teams.
Kris Letang and the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Detroit Red Wings in a must-win game for both teams.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have just four games left, and the tension is mounting. They squeaked out a point against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but still sit a point shy of a wild card position. The Penguins need two points badly in their next contest in what is arguably the biggest game of the season. Here's what to watch for as the Penguins battle their old nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings.
1. Letang Elevating Game
The Penguins top defenders have faded into the background with the team's top forwards taking the reigns. Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson have been largely overlooked, but are playing better hockey as of late.
Letang especially has played outstanding with five assists in the past five games. Letang is currently just one point shy of reaching the 50-point benchmark for the seventh time in his career.
Not just offense, but Letang has kept his defensive game consistent, as well. He's playing 30 shifts per game, and his penalty-killing work is the best it's been since breaking out in the NHL. With the Pens ratcheting up their desperation levels down the stretch, it's clear that Letang is ratcheting up his play as well. Can he keep it up against the Red Wings?
2. Playoff Hope Returns to Motor City
The Red Wings were once the mightiest franchise in the NHL. Since 2016, however, the team has been shut out of the postseason. With an organizational revamp and a few key moves, the Red Wings are right alongside the Penguins in the hunt for the wild card.
Led by high-octane scorers Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Alex Debrincat, the Wings are a sleeper team to make some noise if they make it back to the playoffs. They need to get by the Penguins in order to do so, in what might be the biggest challenge of their season.
3. Shortened Bench for Penguins?
The Penguins might have dressed 18 skaters in their last game, but it certainly didn't seem like it. It feels as if head coach Mike Sullivan is opting to employ his top forward lines and defensive pairings more and reducing the ice time of several players.
In their most recent game, forwards Emil Bemstrom and Jesse Puljujarvi played just 5:30 of ice time. Valtteri Puustinen only managed a few more shifts, totaling just over nine minutes.
The pairing of Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany also saw reduced shifts, with each defender seeing about 4 minutes less of ice time.
Perhaps it was a matchup choice by Sullivan, opting for more defensively responsible forwards. Perhaps it was just the circumstances of the game, as the team was playing from behind in the latter stages. Either way, the Penguins must be careful playing with a shortened bench. Fatigue and injuries are the last thing a desperate team needs to overcome.
The Penguins and Red Wings meet at PPG Paints Arena for a 7:00 p.m. face-off.
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