Pittsburgh Penguins: Keys to Taking on Winnipeg Jets Without Evgeni Malkin

When the Penguins last took the ice on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres defeated them 3-2. An attempted third period comeback came up a bit short as the power play lost a faceoff in the Sabres zone with 21 seconds left.

Now, the team heads back out on the road, making their first trip to the city of Winnipeg since February of 1996. The only goal scored in that contest was by then fan-favorite Jaromir Jagr. Tom Barrasso was the winning goalie.

One thing that will make the trip a bit more difficult is leaving a few players behind. While Sidney Crosby and Dustin Jeffrey continue to make progress, Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik are still taking it easy to make sure that short term problems do not become long-term catastrophes.

The slides cover the things to watch for in the game against the Jets. Even without Malkin, there are items of concern for the Pens.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury has been bothered by the flu recently. It forced him to miss the game against the Washington Capitals.

He played a decent game against Buffalo, but may have been affected by the illness still. With back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild, he certainly would not play both games, even if healthy.

With any luck, he is recovered, or will have the chance with a little rest on the trip.

Team Health

When one guy on the team has the flu, it cannot be too long until the rest follow. Add to that lots of travel miles and the fatigue of back-to-back games, and the potential is there for other guys to succumb.

If that happens, the only good thing would be getting it out of the way early in the season. Every team will deal with a few bugs throughout the season. Maybe putting one in the rear-view will be the only time the Penguins have to bother with such things.

Jordan Staal

The fans seem to be impatient with Jordan Staal so far this season. I guess that is not really any different than any other season.

Perhaps everyone should come to grips with the fact that Staal is not always going to be an offensive force for the team. It will come and go, as it has throughout his career.

He scored a goal Saturday. Maybe that will jump start him, maybe it will not.

While that would be damning for most players, Jordan Staal's skill set is wide enough that lack of points does not mean he is not helping the team win. Faceoffs, defensive responsibility and being able to match up with top opponents are where Jordan Staal makes his money.

Team Approach

If the Penguins are going to fare well on this two-game road trip, they will have to do so with a team approach. Without Malkin, the offense has looked rather plain.

That is to be expected though, so the rest of the guys have to make sure to pay extra attention to the simple things. They can win the game by hustling to loose pucks, making sure to get it deep when the situation calls for it and not trying to win the game by themselves. The simple play will lead to good things.