CRANBERRY, Pa. -- It might seem, at first blush -- and perhaps the second and third, as well -- like an improbable partnership.
Perhaps even a risky one.
After all, Kris Letang and Mike Matheson are both defensemen who have major offensive components to their game.
They skate very well. Can shoot the puck. Are able to take a wide-angle view of what's transpiring around them.
Pairing either with someone who plays a reliable, defense-oriented game -- say, a Brian Dumoulin type -- gives him the latitude to get involved in the offense when the opportunity arises, confident that his partner will cover for him.
But send two guys with good offensive games out together, and there's a least a chance that defensive responsibilities might be neglected at times. Or, possibly even worse, that both will restrain themselves too much by focusing strictly on their defensive duties, effectively limiting their impact on the offense.
Nonetheless, Dumoulin's illness Friday night created an opening in the spot he usually fills alongside Letang, and Matheson was cleared to return after a five-game absence.
Mike Sullivan and his staff opted to plug Matheson's into Dumoulin's spot for what became a 5-2 victory against the Golden Knights, and they were given absolutely no reason to second-guess the decision.
Letang and Matheson were on the ice together for three Penguins goals, the first of which was scored by Matheson. He was out there for a Vegas goal, but the other defenseman then was Marcus Pettersson.
Letang ended up with just one assist, although he was on for four of the Penguins' goals.
"I think we complement each other really well," Letang said. "We know what we're doing defensively and, when we're retrieving pucks, we're trying to support each other."
Whether the Matheson-Letang duo will remain intact for the Penguins' game against the Hurricanes Sunday at 1:08 p.m. is unclear, but those two worked together during practice Saturday.
"We know what the (Dumoulin-Letang) pair looks like, and if we choose to go that route, we know what we're getting," Sullivan said. "It's the same thing with Mike."
Dumoulin participated in the workout, too, but was paired primarily with John Marino. Mark Friedman remained alongside Chad Ruhwedel, a role Matheson filled before he was injured, and Pettersson appeared to be the odd-man out.
"Whoever I play with, I know I'm in great hands, whether it's (Dumoulin or Matheson)," Letang said. "He's a special player. He's probably one of the most skilled players we have on our team, with his skating ability, his shot, just his vision. Everything. He's the total package."
He added that even though Matheson's style is significantly different from that of Dumoulin, he doesn't anticipate having to make any major adjustments to his game.
"I know he's going to be in the rush, so maybe sometimes I'll stay back," Letang said. "That's probably the only thing that's going to change."
For his part, Sullivan doesn't seem to have any concerns that a Matheson-Letang tandem might be unable to strike the proper balance between attempting to generate goals and trying to prevent them.
"Mike and (Letang) have an offensive dimension to their game," he said. "But they're both real dynamic skaters and they defend well."
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• A few hours after the workout, the Penguins recalled forward Radim Zohorna from Wilkes-Barre and returned Valtteri Puustinen to the Baby Penguins.
• Zach Aston-Reese, on the impact of losing linemate Brock McGinn, who is listed as "week-to-week" with an unspecified injury: "This last little stretch, he's been generating a lot of offense and, on the flip side, he's been playing great defense. He's had some big blocks and he's been playing through ... he's been playing through little bumps and bruises from blocking shots. He's going to be missed, especially on the (penalty-kill)."
• With McGinn out, Kasperi Kapanen -- a right winger by trade who was a healthy scratch Friday -- moved back into the four-line mix during the workout, playing left wing on the third unit, alongside Jeff Carter and Puustinen. "We've already talked about Plan B if we don't think it's going the way we had hoped, or we'd envisioned," Sullivan said. "And then we'll go from there."
• The Penguins are 0-1-1 against Carolina this season, and if the Hurricanes beat them again, it won't be because the Penguins took them lightly. "They're a hungry team that's going to chase the puck," Aston-Reese said. "That's how they make their living. ... They have a lot of speed and they're fast on pucks. They try to create turnovers and they're heavy on the forecheck." He added that, "I think a lot of guys are (angry) about the results we've had against them. We're excited to get another opportunity to win."
• Sullivan, on the Hurricanes' approach to offense: "They have a high dump-in rate, one of the highest in the league. So they put a lot of pucks in deep and they want to play a pursuit game. They want to chase people down. They want to force you to make mistakes, then create their offense that way. They're more of a pursuit team than they are a possession team."
• Jason Zucker, who is recovering from core-muscle surgery, had an on-ice workout with skills coach Ty Hennes for about 40 minutes before the full-team practice.
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Danton Heinen-Evgeni Malkin-Evan Rodrigues
Kasperi Kapanen-Jeff Carter-Valtteri Puustinen
Brian Boyle-Teddy Blueger-Zach Aston-Reese
Extra: Dominik Simon
Mike Matheson-Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin-John Marino
Mark Friedman-Chad Ruhwedel
Extra: Marcus Pettersson
Power play No. 1: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Rust.
Power play No. 2: Matheson, Heinen, Kapanen, Rodrigues, Carter.
