Arturs Silovs starting with Evgeni Malkin out exposes Penguins' fragile center depth

Haase's report bites harder because Malkin's $6.1 million contract expires this summer, and one missing star center still warps the whole Penguins board.

Arturs Silovs is 25, Vancouver's 2019 sixth-round pick, and Pittsburgh brought him in last July for nights exactly like this. He is 16-9-8 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage.

Ryan Shea taking a full morning skate matters more than it looks. His 4-24-28 line and plus-24 have given Pittsburgh a calm third-pair option that can actually move pucks cleanly.

Without Malkin, Tommy Novak gets a heavier middle-six load, and that changes the attack. Pittsburgh loses a half-wall creator and a shooter who still sits at 15-37-52 in 50 games.

That pushes this lineup toward straight-line hockey. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust can finish, but the middle of the ice gets thinner fast when Malkin is missing.

You can see the morning picture clearly, Silovs gets the crease and Shea tests the shield at full speed.

Fans have every right to be tense here, because this setup screams survive first, attack second.

Silovs does not need to steal the night early. He needs the first ten minutes clean, then let Sidney Crosby's line tilt the rink.

Shea's return could matter just as much. If he can close plays fast beside Connor Clifton, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang can stay in cleaner offensive spots.

Pittsburgh has 10.59 million in projected cap space, but this is not a cap story tonight. This is a roster stress test, and the next answer has to come on the ice.

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