Penguins Wrap: Playing Looser; Sad Loss; Lineup Skews Young

There were a range of emotions over the past week for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are left with just two games to close the season.

Although it had become inevitable some time ago, the Penguins were officially eliminated from a chance to make the playoffs. Perhaps that left the players free to just, well, play. They followed up that reality with two wins.

Between, however, came a real loss, as the hockey world was caught off guard with the news that former Penguins general manager Ray Shero died at age 62. The Penguins reflected.

In terms of the end-of-the-season lineup, several players were ruled out for the final games. That meant a chance for several younger players to showcase their game before returning to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the Calder Cup playoffs.

For one of those players, the Penguins’ top prospect among skaters, that chance ended with an injury.

Meanwhile, Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas picked up a prestigious appointment outside of his NHL job.

Catch up on all of it. Click the links.

Saturday: The Penguins overcame some mistakes to score three third-period goals, and Sidney Crosby had a hat trick to lead the way in a win over a strong team in the Dallas Stars.

Suddenly — and it tracks to the infusion of youth provided by prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Kouvinen — the Penguins found themselves playing with energy and looked to be having fun. It’s in the postgame analysis.

Sunday: In something that would become a big theme during the week, it was revealed that prospect Joona Koppanen would be in the lineup because winger Philip Tomasino was hurt.

So much for playing light and loose. The Penguins were officially eliminated from playoff contention, and that happened in a lifeless loss against the Chicago Blackhawks.

After the loss and the elimination, the Penguins seemed detached. One of the lighter moments postgame came with Evgeni Malkin’s comments about the incredible feat accomplished by Russian compatriot Alex Ovechkin, who passed Wayne Gretzky for the goals title. It’s in the report from the Penguins room.

Monday: No matter how you wrap it, the team’s defensive play is awful. That leads to the question of why coach Mike Sullivan keeps using the same defensive pairings. And why isn’t Owen Pickering or someone else in the NHL? It’s in 3 Penguins thoughts.

Prospect Sergei Murashov could be the Penguins franchise goalie at some point. However, there are good reasons not to rush him into the NHL. Dave Molinari explains in his column.

Tuesday: The injury news kept piling up. Philip Tomasino has a concussion, and Blake Lizotte also is hurt. Coach Mike Sullivan announced the injuries.

The older brother of a Penguins prospect, a former first-round draft pick, is dealing with complications from a genetic condition and announced his retirement.

And even more injury news. This time, it was top prospect Rutger McGroarty. He struggled after blocking a shot to hobble off the ice.

Tristan Jarry has been through a lot, good and bad, this season. This night, he was good, as were his teammates, and he got a shutout in the rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Prospect Ville Koivenen got moved to the top line in-game even before McGroarty got hurt, but his first goal remained elusive. He was one of the players who earned an ‘A’ in the game. It’s in the Penguins grades.

Wednesday: Penguins fans seemed to love him, and probably would have liked to see more of the energetic, physical forward. Still, the Penguins’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy is Boko Imama.

Even though he was injured, prospect Rutger McGroarty passed a test of sorts in the way he has been playing with the Penguins’ top centers. He does not defer to them.

What might happen with the first-round draft pick the Penguins are getting from the New York Rangers? One silver lining to missing the playoffs could be a chance for some Penguins to play in the IIHF World Championship. And the Penguins don’t have a strong rivalry or relationship with Winnipeg, but they just might owe the Jets. It’s all covered in a Penguins notebook.

Shock waves. Disbelief and sadness. The hockey world — and, in particular, the Penguins — were hit with terrible news as word spread that former GM Ray Shero had died.

Thursday: It was related to mounting injuries, but better late than never the Penguins’ lineup got a lot younger as three prospects, including Vasily Ponomarev, were recalled.

That news meant we got a look at new line configurations at practice, given the call-ups and those missing because of injuries. It’s in the practice report.

Holy cow. Sure, there was just a week left in the season, but coach Mike Sullivan reeled off a rather long list of injured players whose seasons were over.

The Penguins’ core players, who won a Stanley Cup under GM Ray Shero in 2009, took some time after practice to offer memories and express their heartfelt admiration.

Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas was named Team Canada’s GM for the IIHF World Championship.

Friday: They like him. They really like him. He might not have a goal yet, but his Penguins teammates are impressed with Ville Koivunen.

The Penguins continued to show some heart. They got in a two-goal hole early, but goaltender Tristan Jarry and his teammates recovered for a comeback win over the New Jersey Devils.

Tanking? No way. The Penguins are following their leadership and playing some strong hockey even with seemingly no reason for motivation. It’s in the report from the Penguins room.