Players know it’s about time they shift to high gear
RALEIGH, N.C. — There’s just a week to go until the NHL trade deadline.
Once that passes, the stretch drive will begin, albeit unofficially, with the Stanley Cup playoffs to follow.
The Penguins are in a pretty good spot — they were second in the Metropolitan Division before facing Carolina Tuesday night at PNC Arena — but still hope to ratchet up their performance for the high-stakes games ahead.
“We’re at a point where we’ve played some good hockey games and put ourselves in a position where we would like to be, but for … the group we have, it’s a good opportunity to flip that switch into playoff mode and really attack these last 20 or so games,” center Matt Cullen said. “Our group has another level. I think we would all agree on that. We’ve played well enough to win but, as a group, we have another level [to reach] to play playoff-style hockey.”
Ailing Bonino out
The Penguins played without center Nick Bonino, who generally centers the third line and works on both special teams.
He spent the game-day skate at the team hotel because of an illness, at which point coach Mike Sullivan all but ruled him out for the game.
Bonino is one of the Penguins’ go-to penalty-killers and has been working on the No. 2 power play.
What’s more, he has handled 426 faceoffs, more than any teammate except Sidney Crosby.
“He does a lot for us,” Sullivan said. “He plays in a lot of key situations, he’s a penalty-killer, he’s a good twoway centerman.”
Carter Rowney took Bonino’s place in the lineup after a two-game absence.
Tough times
Carolina defenseman Noah Hanifan was the fifth player chosen in the 2015 draft, and is widely regarded as one of the game’s top prospects at his position.
But, like his team, Hanifan, a second-year pro, is enduring a difficult season; he had two goals, 13 assists and a plus-minus rating of minus-18 in 54 games before facing the Penguins.
He didn’t turn 20 until Jan. 25 and clearly has ample time to develop, but acknowledged that competing in the NHL is a constant challenge.
“It never really gets easy,” he said. “You can never get complacent. You always have to be working hard to try to improve your game.”
Columbus claimed defenseman Zach Werenski, Hanifan’s roommate when they were in the U.S. national development program, three spots after the Hurricanes picked Hanifan, but Hanifan said he doesn’t measure his play against Werenski’s.
“I keep in touch with him,” he said. “But, when we talk, it’s not really about hockey.”
Sellout streak is safe
It remains to be seen whether the Penguins will attract a capacity crowd to Heinz Field Saturday night for their outdoor game against Philadelphia.
Tom McMillan, the team’s vice president of communications, said “several thousand” tickets remain available.
Regardless of how many people watch the Penguins and Flyers, however, the Penguins’ sellout streak will not be affected.
It stands at 462 and does not include the Winter Classic Jan. 1, 2011 between the Penguins and Washington at Heinz Field, which was witnessed by a capacity crowd of 68,111.
“These are totally unique events in a huge stadium, far beyond normal NHL capacity, marketed regionally and nationally by the NHL,” McMillan said. “Completely different from selling out an 18,000-seat building night after night over the years.”