Maatta will deputize on the point until Letang returns from a lower-body knock. (That might be as soon as tonight's home game vs. Anaheim. Letang took the morning skate and is a game-time decision.)
The power play is hardly foreign territory for the Finnish defenseman. He's been a fixture on the Pens' No. 2 power play and played frequently on the man-advantage unit previously during his career.
"You look back at juniors and when I grew up, and most of the defensemen played the power play," Maatta said. "They all had the skills for it. So it's not like I'm jumping into something brand new."
It's one thing, however, to be out there with the second group. It's quite another to mesh with rarefied talent like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
"They want the puck," Maatta joked. "I'm sure there's a reason for that."
Nonetheless, said Maatta, "If you get a chance to shoot it, shoot it. Don't be shy out there.
"But, obviously, we have a lot of skill. You want to give your guys the best chance to make plays. You just want to move the puck and keep it simple."
Maatta's first night quarterbacking the top power play was the Penguins' 4-3 overtime victory over visiting Los Angeles Dec. 15. Kessel's OT winner came on a 4-on-3 power play. Maatta got the second assist.
The 5-on-4 version of the power play went zero-for-two with six shots. Decent possession, decent movement.
"Like I said, I want to keep things pretty simple and move the puck quick," Maatta said. "Tanger's a great player. He can make unbelievable plays. I just need to have my head up and when I have a chance to shoot it, shoot it."
Coach Mike Sullivan was happy with Maatta's showing on the PP: "Olli did a good job. The power play had some looks. The best chance they got was off a point shot Olli had from the middle and Jake [Guentzel] was right on the doorstep and had a Grade-A rebound chance."
The Penguins' power play ranks 11th in the NHL with a conversion percentage of 22.7 (20-for-88).
A few troubling nuances: The Penguins' 88 power-play opportunities is tied for fewest in the league. Their eight short-handed goals allowed is the most in the league.
On the bright side, the victory over Los Angeles was the Penguins' second straight and fifth in their last seven games (5-1-1).
"We had chances to score more goals," Maatta said after the Penguins beat the Kings. "[Matt] Murray was awesome. It was a huge win. Every win is huge right now. The [Metropolitan] division is tight. We need every point. You can't take a night off."
Murray made 38 saves against LA, returning from injury to start his first game since Nov. 17.
Maatta, 24, had 10 assists and a plus-4 mark in his first 31 games. He is in his sixth NHL season.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
