"It almost seemed like they were content to sit above us and really slow things down through the neutral zone. It seemed like you had an outlet and you hit him, and there was no speed to kind of get in on the forecheck. And they flipped a lot of pucks out. It's frustrating to play when a team's content to do that, but they have to defend well to do that."
That was Jets center Adam Lowry at the end of November after the Penguins waltzed up to Winnipeg and beat the Jets, 3-0.
It's going to be quite different for the Penguins this time around without the likes of Kris Letang, Jeff Petry and Tristan Jarry (who made 32 saves in that shutout victory), but with a rematch on the horizon Friday night here at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins have the exact template on how to bring down the Jets once more.
You might recall that rather low-event game from earlier this season. There wasn't a lot of pretty hockey in the traditional sense, but both teams made life difficult for the other by intently taking time and space away with true attention to detail in the defensive zone. Although not exactly an issue, this Penguins team has been susceptible to succumbing to frustration in games like that, where their ability to make plays and do what they do best was kept to a minimum.
The difference in that game, though, was that the Penguins -- as Lowry noted -- were completely fine with playing that way. They settled into it and, eventually, it paid off as they scored all three of their goals in the third period.
"For sure, there are things that we can utilize going into tonight’s game," Mike Sullivan said after the Penguins' optional morning skate on Friday. "We’ve got a lot of respect for Winnipeg. They’re a really good team, they’re a deep team, they’re one of the stingier teams defensively, and then they have one of the best goaltenders in the league. They have numbers back a lot, they don’t give up a lot of odd-man rushes. To a certain extent, they’re a defense-first team, and I think that’s reflected in their record."
What came next from Sullivan is the key.
"I think defense wins in a lot of ways."
No one's going to sit around and tell you the Penguins are -- or ever have been -- some defensive-minded, sit-back-and-wait club. They like to score goals and, within winning of course, flaunt their high-end offensive skill. But the option to do so isn't always going to be available, especially against a club like these Jets. Of course, there's always the potential for things to open up for you when you commit to making life difficult for the opposition first.
"We know it’s gonna be a big challenge, and I think the most important thing from our standpoint is that we understand the type of game that we need to play that sets us up for success, regardless of who our opponent is," Sullivan said. "But understanding the type of game that we’re up against tonight, and making sure that we take what the game gives us out there, we’re not forcing things."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Jan Rutta missed practice for a maintenance day on Thursday. He was right back out there for the morning skate on Friday and is good to go against the Jets. He noted that it was nice to have a day off and that he feels as if he "regained some juice."
• It was a quick and lightly attended morning skate. The full list of those who took the option to participate: Evgeni Malkin, Drew O'Connor, Rutta, Ty Smith, Taylor Fedun, Dustin Tokarski, Casey DeSmith.
• In case you missed it, Fedun was recalled from the AHL on Thursday. The captain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Fedun has no goals and two assists in 30 AHL games this season.
• After taking over in relief for DeSmith and winning against the Canucks on Tuesday night, Tokarski will get the start against the Jets. He stopped 19 of 20 shots in his lone NHL appearance to this point of the season.
• With Tokarski starting Friday, that puts DeSmith in line to get the nod in goal against the Hurricanes on Saturday in Raleigh. DeSmith has made one start against the Hurricanes this season, a regulation loss on Dec. 18. He stopped 29 of 32 shots in that one.
• Before the morning skate, all of Ryan Poehling (upper-body injury, injured reserve), Jeff Petry (upper-body injury, long-term injured reserve) and Tristan Jarry (lower-body injury, injured reserve) hit the ice for a skate of their own with Ty Hennes and Andy Chiodo. Sullivan said that each of their statuses remain the same.
• Josh Archibald (lower-body injury, injured reserve), had a scheduled off-ice workout Friday.
• The Jets played Thursday night in Buffalo, defeating the Sabres, 4-2. As so, they did not hold a morning skate on Friday. Connor Hellebuyck got the start in goal against the Sabres, so David Rittich is expected to start for the Jets against the Penguins. Rittich is 6-4-0 this season with a .905 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average.
• It might not feel like it after losing streaks of six and seven games through the first half of the season, but the Penguins are in decent shape, so long as another hefty losing streak doesn't get in the way. The Penguins' .600 points percentage is fourth in the Metropolitan Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference. They'd like that to be better, no doubt, but they're right in the thick of it all despite some adversity.
• Puck drops tonight against the Jets at 7:08 p.m. tonight here at PPG Paints Arena. I'll be there, along with Dejan Kovacevic, for your coverage.
