CRANBERRY, Pa. -- There will be 15 games in the National Hockey League Friday night.
Some -- say, the Blackhawks at Buffalo or the Senators in Philadelphia -- figure to go largely unnoticed outside of the arenas in which they are contested.
But a few -- like the Blue Jackets' visit to PPG Paints Arena -- could have an impact that will ripple through the Stanley Cup playoffs for weeks.
The outcome of the Penguins' regular-season finale against the Blue Jackets will help to determine whether the Penguins finish 2021-22 as the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, in which case they will take on the Rangers in Round 1, or as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, which would pit them against the Panthers.
But there will be more than just the Penguins' place in the standings at stake.
They have lost two games in a row, allowing nine goals in the process, and have just two power-play goals in the past 12 games and definitely are not surging toward the postseason.
And while 60 minutes of hockey might not be enough time to correct all that has been wrong with the Penguins lately, it could allow them to generate some badly needed positive momentum.
"We're trying to build some traction," Mike Sullivan said after practice Thursday. "We're trying to feel good about our game. We're trying to put our team in the best possible position to be successful moving forward.
"There's still meaning to this game. The stakes are high, at this point in time. I think it's important that we build some traction and feel good about our team."
Intangibles aside, there are personnel issues with which the team must deal.
The coaching staff surely would like to settle on forward combinations and defense pairings before going into the playoffs, and that includes finding a replacement for Jason Zucker on the second like with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust.
Zucker left the Penguins' 5-1 loss to the Oilers Tuesday night because of an unspecified lower-body injury and was replaced by Danton Heinen during Thursday's workout.
Sullivan declined to elaborate on the nature of Zucker's injury or to offer a timeframe for his return, but there's no indication that he will be ready for Game 1 of the opening round.
Health-related issues, including core-muscle surgery, have limited Zucker to 41 games this season.
"That's definitely very frustrating," said Teddy Blueger, himself sidelined by a broken jaw this season. "Everyone gets hurt once in a while, but for it to come back repeatedly is tough. I think it's tough, mentally, obviously, and very frustrating. He's been playing really well. ... Hopefully, he comes back soon. Obviously, we could use him on the ice."
Zucker's teammates can't control when he resumes playing, but can take steps to extend their stay in the playoffs as much as possible.
For Crosby, that starts with renewing their commitment to stingy team defense.
"The first thing, probably, is limiting chances-against," he said. "That's always so important in the playoffs, just not beating yourself and not giving teams easy ones. We know that we have enough guys who can contribute offensively and score; we just have to make sure we give ourselves a chance, defensively."
Blueger, meanwhile, believes that reestablishing the proper mentality before the playoffs begin is imperative.
"We want to get back to playing to our identity, being more tenacious and relentless," he said. "We have to be more supportive of each other, bring more energy. There are going to be times in the course of a game, course of a series, when things aren't going our way, we're not playing well.
"Maybe someone makes a mistake and we have to be more resilient, kind of battle through that. The next game is kind of a bit of a dress rehearsal, I guess, in the sense of getting those details right."
MORE FROM THE PRACTICE
• Crosby was named the Penguins' MVP for the 10th time and has received the Players' Player award for the fourth time. "I'm honored to be named MVP," he said. "I hope everyone realizes just how much I love it, and how much I love being a part of the team." He didn't bother mentioning that he's the biggest part, and has been for pretty much his entire career.
• Casey DeSmith's most recent playoff action came on April 30, 2017, when he was with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It was a 2-1 loss to Providence in which the Bruins got both of their goals from Heinen, then a Boston prospect. "Thank goodness he's on our team now." DeSmith said.
• Crosby, on the Penguins being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three years: "If anything, it just makes you appreciate the opportunity that you have. You understand that as quickly as you have that opportunity, it can be gone. You can't waste any time, as far as being ready. I think that when the time comes, we'll understand that."
• Sullivan's reaction to Crosby's MVP award: "He just represents everything that is right about hockey. ... He's the standard (for the Penguins)."
• One day after David Morehouse stepped down as the team's president and CEO, Crosby praised his contribution to the franchise'. "David's obviously been here for a really long time, and been a huge part of our success as an organization, as a team," he said. "We all feel fortunate that he was here as long as he was."
• Crosby, on the likelihood that the longtime core of the team will not make it through the offseason intact, since Malkin and Kris Letang are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents: "As much as you don't want to think about it, it's something you understand could be a possibility. There are circumstances like that in other years, maybe not necessarily the same situation as this one, but you just try to enjoy it as much as you can and take it all in, because you know it's not something that's going to last forever, whether it's this year or down the road a little bit more."
• Personnel combinations:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Heinen-Malkin-Rakell
McGinn-Carter-Kapanen
Boyle-Blueger-Rodrigues
Dumoulin-Letang
Matheson-Ruhwedel
Pettersson-Marino
Beaulieu-Friedman
No. 1 power play: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Rust
No. 2 power play: Carter, Matheson, Rakell, Kapanen, Rodrigues
