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Penguins blue line surprise: Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon silence critics
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Erik Karlsson has revived the Pittsburgh Penguins blue line, and the playoff stakes suddenly feel real.
Back in October, the blue line felt like the soft underbelly everyone would poke at.
Instead, the Penguins hit the Olympic break at 29-15-12, hanging in second place in the Metro.
That is not happening without the defense quietly carrying its share of the load.
King Jemison said it best, the blue line looked like a major weakness before the season, and now it is way better than expected.
So yeah, let’s hand out some grades, and try not to overthink it.
Karlsson gets an A, because the “resurgence” part is not hype, it is production.
He’s sitting on 4-31-35, and the puck is living on his stick again.
Parker Wotherspoon gets a B+, because the best partners are the ones you stop noticing.
He’s 28, a 2015 fourth-round pick by the New York Islanders, and his $1.0 million cap hit suddenly looks like theft.
Erik Karlsson keeps the Pittsburgh Penguins steady
Penguins fans are still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it keeps not dropping.
That Karlsson-Wotherspoon duo has outscored opponents 12-7 at five-on-five, and it shows in the calm breakouts.
Ryan Shea gets a B, because breakouts are not always loud, sometimes they are just reliable minutes that keep adding up.
He’s 28, drafted in 2015 by Chicago, and he’s popped for 3-19-22 with a sparkling plus-21.
The bigger win is how the group fits, tighter gaps, quicker exits, and fewer panic clears.
When Dan Muse has them moving pucks fast, the forwards get to attack off the rush instead of defending all night.
Now comes the real test, keeping it up when play resumes Thursday, Feb. 26 vs New Jersey.
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