Control the Controllables

Mike Sullivan always tells his players to control the controllables … and right now, that saying resonates harder than ever, as the Penguins aren't in full command of their playoff destiny heading into these final days of the regular season.

They are battling for one of the Wild Card spots with the Panthers and Islanders, with the Sabres in the mix as well. Right now, Florida is in first with 91 points; New York is in second, also with 91 points (and one less regulation win); and Pittsburgh is on the outside looking in with 90 points. All three teams have two games remaining, while Buffalo has four games left with 85 points.
There's a lot of different scenarios in play, but in order to give themselves the best chance, the Penguins need to win out and hope for at least one regulation loss from either the Panthers or Islanders, who both play tonight.
The guys will certainly be very aware of what happens in those contests, as they do not return to game action until Tuesday night against Chicago, finishing their schedule Thursday in Columbus.
"I'm sure I'll keep an eye out, whether I watch or watch the score," captain Sidney Crosby said. "But it doesn't change what we have to do. Obviously, we got to worry about ourselves in that way. Knowing how close it's been for a while now, I think we all understood that there was a good chance it was going to come down to the last game, and that's the way it is.
"So, we've done a good job here the last couple games of just focusing on the game in hand, and we got to do that here tomorrow."
With this being a veteran group, they didn't appear to be overwhelmed by the circumstance at today's practice, held at PPG Paints Arena. Guys were loose and the mood was light during their 40-minute session, which had full attendance following a day off on Easter Sunday.
"I think you come and work hard, and you have fun and you prepare," Crosby said. "That's what you try to do. I think we had a good practice; we had a good jump coming off an off day. We understand the importance of tomorrow."
They could be getting some reinforcements, as the entire contingent of injured players took part. Drew O'Connor, who missed Saturday's 5-1 win in Detroit, was the only player in a no-contact jersey. Nick Bonino, Dmitry Kulikov and Marcus Pettersson were all full participants.
Pettersson isn't eligible to come off long-term injured reserve until Thursday, but Bonino and Kulikov could return Tuesday, depending on how they feel tomorrow.
"We'll make decisions accordingly with the help of our medical staff. So that's encouraging from our standpoint," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think we're getting close. Having said that, we only have a couple of games left. So, we're going to try to put the best lineup on the ice that gives us the best chance to win here. And hopefully, we get a little help from the league, and we have an opportunity to compete in the playoffs again."
Bonino skated on left wing of the fourth line with Jeff Carter and Josh Archibald, a position the versatile forward said he's comfortable with.
Bonino played just three games in his second stint with Pittsburgh after being acquired from San Jose at the deadline before suffering a lacerated kidney, and missing the last 16 games.
"It was as frustrating as it could have been," he said. "You leave your family, come out… excited to get here, play three games… and then effectively sit on a couch for two weeks with zero anything. You can't do anything physical. So, happy to be back and moving around, playing hockey again, and looking forward to the future."
Bonino praised the job that the medical staff has done with an injury that doesn't often happen to NHL players, saying they put together a good plan for his recovery.
"Was able to rest and have some stuff done down there, then get workouts in finally on the ice," he said. "I feel really good fitness-wise. Kind of just waiting for things internally to fully patch up, I think."
Kulikov was also acquired at the trade deadline, playing just four games before going down with a lower-body injury that's sidelined him for the last 14. The defenseman said he feels confident that he'll be able to return against the Blackhawks.
"I wasn't expecting it to be so much better at the four-week mark, but it's feeling really good right now," he said. "Skated with the team today. I think I'm right on schedule right now."
He skated alongside Jan Rutta during rushes. Here is Pittsburgh's workflow:
Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Rakell
Heinen-Poehling-Granlund
Bonino-Carter-Archibald
Dumoulin-Letang
Joseph-Petry
Kulikov-Rutta
(Pettersson-Friedman-Ruhwedel)