3 Things: Injury Updates, Defensive Depth and More

Here are the 3 biggest takeaways from the Penguins' Thursday practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex ahead of their game against the New York Rangers on Friday at PPG Paints Arena.

1. Injury and lineup updates
Defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola did not practice after both players left Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win against Washington with upper-body injuries and did not return. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan provided updates on their respective statuses.
"Marcus Pettersson will be week-to-week with an upper-body injury," Sullivan said. "Juuso is longer-term."
In addition, defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was excused from practice for the birth of his first child.
"We anticipate that he'll be available (Friday)," Sullivan said.
Their absences meant Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Kevin Czuzcman, who had been skating with the taxi squad, joined Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Cody Ceci at Penguins practice.
Sullivan declined to say who would be slotting into the lineup to replace Pettersson and Riikola. Taxi squad recalls must happen before 5 p.m. Eastern time for a player to be eligible to play that night.
"As I always do, I'll tell you that the positional players will be game-time decisions and we'll tell you who our goalie is the morning of the game," Sullivan said. "We've just been consistent with that, certainly in my tenure here as the coach, and that's how we prefer to leave it."

2. Next-man-up mentality
The injuries are piling up on the Penguins' blue line, as Mike Matheson is also currently out longer-term with an upper-body injury he sustained on Jan. 15 at Philadelphia.
But as Sullivan has repeatedly said, the Penguins believe in the depth that they have on defense, and that they have enough NHL-caliber players capable of stepping in and stepping up.
"The onus is going to be on everyone to make sure that they look at this as an opportunity to help the Penguins continue to win," Sullivan said. "That's how we look at it. Whoever goes in the lineup, the expectation is that they're going to play the game the right way and these guys, they prepare for this every single day. That's the way we look at it. It's never an easy thing when you get hit with multiple injuries at the same position, but we believe we have capable people."
Sullivan also said that the group of defensemen have all played with each other long enough that there's at least some familiarity there, as well as with the team concept and how they're trying to play.
"They can rely on that structure to help them," Sullivan said.
They can also rely on the leaders of that blue line. Dumoulin said he and Kris Letang will lead by example with their play while also constantly communicating with their teammates on the bench.
"It starts with us," Dumoulin said. "I think our play has to dictate it. think we have to establish the right details on the ice playing the right way and being reliable. Also letting them know what we're seeing out there on breakouts, odd-man rushes. And just trying to take control the game. Obviously, if me and Tanger can get out of our zone clean and play in the offensive zone and limit our D zone, then that makes us better and it gives our forwards a lot more confidence playing in the offensive zone."
Sidney Crosby said the forwards will do their part to make life as easy as possible for whatever group of six the Penguins dress on defense for Friday.
"Lots of communication, making sure you're giving them good outs coming out of the zone so we don't have to spend a lot of time there," Crosby said. "And just being good at the lines, whether it's our own blue line and getting pucks out; or at the offensive blue line, making sure we don't have turnovers there and putting them in a bad spot. You're always trying to do those things. Between that and just making sure we communicate and help each other out and sort things out, that's really the best you can do."
3. Workflow
Forward Drew O'Connor also skated with the main group. The Penguins used the following workflow…
Guentzel-Crosby-Kapanen
Zucker-Malkin-Rust
McCann-Jankowski-Tanev
O'Connor, Rodrigues and Sceviour rotated with Blueger
Dumoulin-Letang
Marino-Ceci
Joseph-Czuczman
They also used the following power-play units:
PP1) Letang, Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Rust
PP2) Marino, Zucker, McCann, Rodrigues, O'Connor