Pittsburgh Penguins: Can They Weather the Injury Storm?

Ever since Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby went down with a concussion in January, the Pens have been able to keep rolling along.

They skated to a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference for last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, a season which saw head coach Dan Bylsma take home the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year.

They have gotten off to an even stronger start this year, as they are currently 6-2-2 with 14 points for second in the conference and first in the Atlantic Division.

Despite what naysayers think, the Penguins have shown that being without their two superstars, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, is no big deal.

But with top defenseman Zbynek Michalek joining the wounded with a broken finger, can the Penguins keep it up?

I say yes, and here's why.

The Injured List

What's that? You need a reminder of who isn't in the Pens lineup right now?

Fair enough. Here's a list of players currently taking in games from the press box.

Sidney Crosby, Center (Concussion)

Tyler Kennedy, Center (Concussion)

Evgeni Malkin, Center (Knee)

Zbynek Michalek, Defenseman (Broken Finger)

Brian Strait, Defenseman (Elbow)

Offensive Depth

The Penguins are currently scoring 2.90 goals per game, good for sixth in the NHL.

James Neal has been the biggest star of the team sans Crosby and Malkin. He is currently first in the league with eight goals and has nine points through the Pens' first 10 games.

Jordan Staal has also begun to step up, as he has five goals and eight points to start the season. In Saturday's win against the New Jersey Devils, he had two goals.

Chris Kunitz has begun to find his way, as he has four points, including one power-play goal and one game-winning goal.

One of the other big surprises for the Pens has been Matt Cooke. Cooke, who earned a mixed reputation last year for his controversial plays, has shown that he was serious about changing his game. He has seven points to start the year, which includes a two-goal game on opening night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Whereas other teams may have trouble replacing the offense an injured top player provides, the Pens' other forwards have stepped up, no matter how likely they are or aren't to contribute to the outcome of a game.

Solid Defense

The Pittsburgh defense is sixth in the NHL with 2.10 goals surrendered per game.

The unit is led by Kris Letang, who has eight points in eight games and is fourth in the NHL with seven assists. He is first on the Pens with 25:43 of ice time per game and 4:59 of power-play ice time. He is also eighth with 1:54 of ice time on the penalty kill.

In addition, he is third with 13 blocked shots and tied for fifth with nine hits.

Paul Martin, who is in his second year with the Pens, has also been a valuable defenseman. He has three assists to start the year and is second with 24:53 of ice time. He is also fifth with 3:51 played on the power play and second with 3:10 of ice time when the Penguins are shorthanded.

Martin is also fourth with 11 blocked shots.

With the return of Brooks Orpik and the physical play of Deryk Engelland, this defense is not to be messed with.

Goaltending

Will this finally be the season where Marc-Andre Fleury can stay consistent throughout the season?

So far, it looks like the answer to that question is yes.

Fleury is third in the league with five wins in seven games and also had a .926 save percentage and 2.13 GAA. He has made several big saves for the Pens and kept games close where needed.

Brent Johnson, meanwhile, continues to be a solid backup goaltender. Although he is 1-0-2, he is still ninth in the NHL with a 1.91 GAA. He has a .925 save percentage and has also been able to make the necessary saves.

The Penguins have two experienced goaltenders who can beat anyone on any night. This will carry them far as their injured players heal and ensure that Dan Bylsma doesn't have to worry that he is making poor decisions when naming a starter.

Special Teams

The Penguins power play, which has been a laughingstock in recent years, is finally coming around.

Pittsburgh is eighth in the NHL on the man advantage with a 20.9 percent success rate, while their nine power-play goals are first in the league.

Meanwhile, the penalty kill, which was ranked first in the league last year, is still working almost too well. Currently, the Pens are first in the league with a 97 percent penalty kill and have three shorthanded goals.

James Neal and Jordan Staal both have two power-play goals, while three players (Richard Park, Matt Cooke and Pascal Dupuis) each have one shorthanded goal.

The strong special teams units can only work better with the top 10 offense and defense. Opponents should no longer be sure that they can easily kill a Penguins penalty.

Physical Toughness

With so many players already on the sidelines, the Penguins can't afford to have anyone else hurt.

So when members of the healthy roster feel the pain, they just get back up and keep going.

For example, in last week's game against the Minnesota Wild, Brent Johnson appeared to have hurt his leg. After talking with the trainer, he got up and kept playing like nothing had happened.

Then, Craig Adams took a shot to the face at practice prior to the Pens' home matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. After getting stitched up, he got right back on the ice and played that night.

And let's not forget Deryk Engelland. He had a cut on his cheek from last Saturday's meeting with the Buffalo Sabres and re-opened it while fighting Chris Thorburn of the Winnipeg Jets. He too kept playing after the incident.

The Penguins' ability to push through pain and still will themselves to wins should be applauded. It shows they know how dire the injury situation already is and won't cost their team two points. When the entire team is healthy, this show of teamwork will lead them to better results on the ice.

Good Minor League Call-Up Possibilities

The more players that go down, the more likely it is that the Penguins will have to call up players from their farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Although not everyone is available for call up due to being on AHL-only deals or being injured themselves (Ryan Craig and Keven Veilleux, for example), there are still some players who could make good NHL fill-ins. 

Among them are top forward prospect Eric Tangradi, who has seven points through seven games this year. Forward Jason Williams and defenseman Alexandre Picard each have a few hundred NHL games to their names and could also be adequate fill-ins. 

Since the NHL squad can't always replace their injured teammates, the AHL is the best place to look. Pittsburgh has several players in their system who are capable of coming up and taking part in NHL action. If they perform well enough, they have a good chance of becoming more than a fill-in by working towards a permanent roster spot.

The Young Guys Are Getting It Done

While the experienced Penguins players should be able to handle the challenges of a depleted lineup, they can't do it by themselves. Everyone needs to step up, and that includes two of the team's youngest players.

Joe Vitale made the roster out of training camp and currently has three points, including one game-winning goal. He is also tied for sixth on the team with nine blocked shots and has a 55.9 percent faceoff win percentage, which is also sixth.

Dustin Jeffrey just returned to the lineup after recovering from a knee injury he sustained last year. However, he has already won 61.5 percent of his faceoffs and is sure to add some points once he gets re-adjusted to game speed.

Jeffrey and Vitale have taken the injury situation in stride and have proved that their limited NHL experience won't hold them back in helping the team to victory. This will also be key to their development, as it shows they can play through less-than-ideal situations.

This article can also be found at Bottom Line Hockey.