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<\/p>\nFor whatever reason, right-handed defensemen are harder to find than their left-handed counterparts in seemingly every level of hockey.<\/p>\n
Through less than a week of play in the NHL this season, only 88 starboard defensemen have appeared in a game while 116 port-siders have suited up.<\/p>\n
Somehow, the Penguins managed to stow away five right-handed blue liners on their roster.<\/p>\n
Two of them, veterans Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba, have been healthy scratches through the first three games of the Penguins\u2019 season.<\/p>\n
That might change as soon as Tuesday for at least one of them.<\/p>\n
As the team embarks on its first extended road trip of the season \u2014 a three-game jaunt through California starting with a meeting against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday \u2014 All-Star defenseman Kris Letang is sidelined on a \u201cday-to-day\u201d basis due to an undisclosed injury.<\/p>\n
He was hobbled when he crashed into the boards awkwardly after trying to deliver a check in the third period and did not record a shift beyond the 2:08 mark of that frame.<\/p>\n
Coach Dan Muse indicated that Letang will travel with the team for the trip. Regardless, the prospect of potentially getting in the lineup after being spectators to open the season is obviously appealing to Clifton and Dumba.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you don\u2019t want to see that (Letang being injured),\u201d Clifton said following a practice session in Cranberry on Sunday. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to have the year that we want to have, I think we\u2019re going to need a lot of (defensemen), we\u2019re going to need a lot of extra forwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was on the outside and just being a cheerleader for a couple of days. I\u2019m obviously excited to play. You don\u2019t get to this level being OK with sitting out. You put your best foot forward and you wait for an opportunity. We\u2019ll see what happens. I\u2019ll be ready to go. \u2026 Practice is your game. You try to stay ready. Totally eager and excited for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Letang, Erik Karlsson and rookie Harrison Brunicke have been in the lineup for all three games hitherto. Dumba would clearly like to join them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou work really hard during the summer to come in here and show your best game,\u201d Dumba said. \u201cI thought I did that. Just as a competitor and a person that believes in himself, I thought I had earned that. You\u2019re upset. You always want more for yourself and believe in yourself, just as a competitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, you\u2019ve got to balance that with being a good teammate, showing up every day and just continuing to work hard. At any moment, you need to be ready. That\u2019s how this league is. There\u2019s always a next guy up and everyone is always working hard and competing to be in that lineup. If I get in, I want to make sure I work my hardest and doing all the little things that I need to do to stay in the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was little indication during Sunday\u2019s practice to suggest if Clifton or Dumba had an edge in potentially replacing Letang. Beyond the top pairing of Karlsson and left-hander Parker Wotherspoon, the Penguins\u2019 remaining healthy defensemen \u2014 Clifton, Dumba and Brunicke along with left-handers Caleb Jones and Ryan Shea \u2014 all rotated as duos during practice.<\/p>\n
Just based on the preseason, Dumba appeared to make a strong case to be in the lineup regardless of any other factors. In four games, he posted three points (one goal, two assists).<\/p>\n
The seventh overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, the 31-year-old Dumba has been a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL, predominantly early in his career with the Minnesota Wild. But the results have not been there in recent seasons and as a result, he is on his fifth team in five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing for me is just having that confidence to have that poise with the puck and to deliver the puck on time,\u201d Dumba said. \u201cI think I see the ice well. It\u2019s just getting the puck to these forwards, putting them in good position. That\u2019s sometimes not doing that right away. You\u2019re letting plays develop and using your own skating. When you draw guys to you, it only creates more space for those other guys. We\u2019ve got some of the most skilled forwards in the world. I want to close on stuff quick, I want to bring that physical presence, energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are the intangibles that I\u2019ve always had throughout my career. So, just more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clifton\u2019s game is primarily rooted in defense and being physical. Over the past three seasons \u2014 either as a member of the Boston Bruins or Buffalo Sabres \u2014 he has led the team he\u2019s played on in hits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent my career as a third right (defenseman),\u201d said Clifton, 30. \u201cThose top four (defensemen) are going to eat a lot of minutes. So for me, it\u2019s important to go out there, create energy, wreak havoc, throw the body around, hopefully make some good plays, break the puck out well. I\u2019ve made a career out of it. There\u2019s different parts of my game, but it really starts with skating and being physical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regardless of when they may be pressed into service, both players vow to be ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just play, you just try to get ready, really,\u201d Clifton said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I did. The (pairings) fall how they fall. And they\u2019re going to change. All year, they change. Excited to get in. We have a lot of able bodies back there, especially with (right-handed defenseman).\u201d<\/p>\n
Brunicke gets physical<\/p>\n
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Getty Images <\/p>\n
In three games this season, Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke has one goal.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
At 19:35 of the second period in Saturday\u2019s game, Penguins forward Blake Lizotte was dumped hard into the boards by Rangers forward Noah Laba.<\/p>\n
Lizotte rose to his feet in a hurry as his helmet was dislodged and appeared eager to square things up with Laba but he was unable to do so.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because Brunicke, all of 19 years old, got the jump on Laba and wrestled him in defense of Lizotte.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to help my teammates whenever I can,\u201d Brunicke said on Sunday. \u201cI saw (Lizotte) had his helmet off. (Laba) was giving it to (Lizotte) a little bit there. I just tried to step in and give him a hand. \u2026 I\u2019m just there to stand up for my teammates whenever I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brunicke earned a roughing minor for the fracas. And a considerable measure of respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat kid is out there defending his teammates,\u201d said Penguins forward Bryan Rust, 33. \u201cHe isn\u2019t scared to go in there. He isn\u2019t scared to do something for the team. That takes a lot of character.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brunicke wasn\u2019t necessarily seeking accolades for his actions. But he values the sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would just hope that somebody would do the same for me,\u201d Brunicke said. \u201cWe\u2019ve all built that strong connection. Everyone is so close. I think everyone would do that for each other. But it\u2019s nice to hear that from an older guy recognizing what I\u2019m doing. It feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koivunen sent down<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
KDP Studio <\/p>\n
Forward Ville Koivunen led the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins in scoring last season with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
To activate Rust from injured reserve on Saturday, space needed to be cleared on the active roster. As a result, rookie forward Ville Koivunen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton of the American Hockey League.<\/p>\n
It was largely the only transaction management had available to activate Rust.<\/p>\n
At the time, Koivunen was one of three players on the NHL roster who did not require exposure to waivers to be assigned to a minor league affiliate.<\/p>\n
The others are rookie forward Ben Kindel and Brunicke. But each of those players can only be assigned to their junior teams in the Western Hockey League, the Calgary Hitmen and Kamloops Blazers, respectively.<\/p>\n
Returning players to a junior team is somewhat permanent, however, as those players can not rejoin their NHL clubs until their individual seasons are completed at the junior level.<\/p>\n
But sending Koivunen to Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton wasn\u2019t just a matter of procedure. The 22-year-old Koivunen has all of 10 career NHL games and is still developing his game.<\/p>\n
In two NHL contests this season, he had no points. And during a 4-3 home win against the New York Islanders on Thursday, he was demoted from the first to the third line.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it was also looking at if he\u2019s going to be out of the lineup \u2014 which he was because we needed a roster spot and he was going to be the one coming out \u2014 have him play games (with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton),\u201d Muse said on Saturday. \u201cThe thought process was he can go play games. We\u2019ll see where it all goes. There\u2019s a lot of upside. There was a lot of good. It\u2019s just right now, that\u2019s where things are today. Definitely, he\u2019s had some bright spots. \u2026 We see that. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited about him but it makes the most sense right now for him to be playing.\u201d<\/p>\n