Karlsson Gets Defensive at Perfect Time for Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson didn’t record a point during their 3-2 victory against the New York Islanders Sunday evening at PPG Paints Arena.

He had to settle for making one.

One that a lot of people probably never thought they’d witness.

With injuries to Kris Letang and Marcus Pettersson forcing coach Mike Sullivan and his staff to cobble together a defense corps that was far from imposing on paper — and didn’t figure to be on the ice, either — Karlsson turned in a defensive effort that bordered on inspiring.

That was noteworthy because, while there will be no shortage of material to put on his plaque when he gets inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, there won’t be a need to set aside much space to celebrate Karlsson’s work in his own zone.

Mostly because it often seems better-suited to a blooper reel than a highlights video.

That wasn’t the case during the Penguins’ win over the Islanders, though, when his defensive performance was as impressive as it was unusual.

Consider that Karlsson, who had averaged three seconds of shorthanded work over the first 37 games, logged a team-leading two minutes, 42 seconds during the Islanders’ pair of power plays, neither of which yielded a goal.

With no word on when Pettersson or Letang, the latter of whom was injured Saturday and still was being evaluated Sunday, will return, he might be compelled to assume that duty again.

“Obviously, we lost a lot of guys who play in those situations, and (Karlsson) was ready to step up,” said Matt Grzelcyk, who was paired with Karlsson. “He did a great job out there on the kill, and it bled over to the rest of his game.”

Indeed, Karlsson’s commitment to defending didn’t end when play returned to 5-on-5.

After averaging 1.24 blocked shots per game through the first two-plus months of the season, he blocked five against New York, the most by anyone on either team.

Now, no one is going to start comparing Karlsson’s defensive play with that of, say, Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, but he did elevate it at a time when the Penguins desperately needed him to.

After the game, his teammates insisted they weren’t surprised by his performance. And, to a man, they did it with a straight face.

“That just speaks to what a complete player he is,” Grzelcyk said. “He’s capable of playing in any and all situations.”

Karlsson is the Penguins’ fifth-leading scorer, with three goals and 22 assists in 38 games, and although he didn’t make it onto the scoresheet against New York, he still was an offensive presence. That included having four shots on goal, tying for the second-most on the team.

He was on the ice for all three Penguins goals, and just one of those scored by New York. That came at 12:59 of the third period, when Islanders winger Anders Lee deflected in an Alexander Romanov shot after goalie Marcus Hogberg had been replaced by an extra attacker.

Rookie defenseman Nathan Clurman made his NHL debut with the Penguins Sunday, giving him a first-hand look at Karlsson, a player he has admired for years.

“He can do it all,” Clurman said. “He was one of my favorite players growing up, for a reason. He looked good tonight.”

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic also had a closeup view of Karlsson’s play, and insisted that nothing about it was a surprise.

“He’s a smart player,” Nedeljkovic said. “He knows where to be, he knows what needs to be done. It’s always good to see guys like that, your best players, coming up with the little details of the game and blocking shots. It goes a long way for the rest of the guys in showing that everybody has to do their part. And sometimes, you have to do some of the dirty things.”

Which Karlsson did with regularity against New York.

“He’s got a lot more defense than he lets on sometimes,” Grzelcyk said. “Obviously, he’s so special going the other way, but we see, as players, that he really competes hard and is capable of many things.”

Including some, it would appear, that not many people would have anticipated.