Penguins notes: Finally, a new opponent in Sabres
Over the past six weeks, the Pittsburgh Penguins have faced four different opponents.
Thursday, for the first time since Jan. 28, a Penguins faceoff won’t come up against the New York Islanders (six meetings in that time), Washington Capitals (four meetings), New York Rangers (four) or Philadelphia Flyers (three). Thursday’s 7 p.m. game will be against the Buffalo Sabres.
“Sometimes those (series) of playing the same team, you kind of get tired of it,” Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said during a video conference call with media after practice Wednesday. “You want to play a different type of game or a different opponent. It’s fun to face a new one right now.”
This coronavirus-impacted season has dictated only intra-divisional play, with each East Division team playing seven other squads eight times apiece. And with the midway point of that 56-game schedule on track to arrive late Monday, the Penguins had yet to play the Sabres or New Jersey Devils.
Some are saying that is a significant advantage because those teams occupy last and second-to-place place in the East, respectively. Buffalo (6-14-4) has the fewest points in the league (16) and is winless in its past eight games (0-6-2).
The Sabres have won only twice since Jan. 30, going 2-11-2 in that time. The Penguins, though, insist they aren’t taking heed of that.
“We’re playing in the best league in the world,” defenseman Mark Friedman said, “and on any given night any team can beat anybody. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It’s two points on the board, and, right now, we’re fighting for a playoff spot.”
The top four teams in the division will make the playoffs. The Penguins have a one-point lead on fourth-place Boston and are two points up on fifth-place Philadelphia. Submitting a point or two over these next two games to a team as bad as the Sabres — who are without star Jack Eichel because of injury — would be less than ideal for the Penguins in the playoff race.
“If you don’t bring the ‘A’ game and be sloppy, any team in the NHL can hurt you,” Letang said.
“Sometimes when you go out there and have nothing to lose, that’s when you’re the most dangerous.”
Refreshing hockey notes from @MarkMaddenX: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are playing very well right now. To quote “Slap Shot,” “That’s what you’re paid for, Braden!” https://t.co/MahKUwDHnD
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 10, 2021
Currie sent down
The Penguins on Wednesday re-assigned forward Josh Currie to their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Currie, 28, dressed for the March 2 game against the Flyers, posting no points while playing a fourth-line role. The 28-year-old Currie has 21 career games of NHL experience but has 106 goals at the AHL level, including three in four games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.