King Midas

Erik Karlsson has been playing world-class hockey all season long, but in March, it felt like every puck he touched turned to gold.

He put together a historic month for the Penguins, stepping up with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out of the lineup for long stretches. Karlsson was named the NHL's Second 

“He's taken to another level. He really has. It's been incredible to watch,” Head Coach Dan Muse said. “When it's getting harder and it's getting tighter, he just keeps finding a way to elevate his game and come up with big plays, big defensive plays, big offensive plays, you name it. He's been unbelievable.”

Through a challenging schedule that featured 17 games in 31 days, Karlsson tallied nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points, which led all NHL defensemen over that span. Since March 1, only Nikita Kucherov (26) picked up more points than Karlsson.

His 24 points were the most by a Penguins blueliner in a calendar month since Paul Coffey’s franchise record of 28 points in February 1990.

Karlsson’s nine multi-point games in March are now the most by a Penguins defenseman in a single month in team history. He is just the sixth defenseman in NHL history to post nine multi-point games in a single month, one shy of Bobby Orr’s record of 10.

Overall, the three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman helped the Penguins stay in a good spot as they fight to make the playoffs, through a stretch where their strength of schedule was one of the league’s toughest.

“I think he’s elevated his game, for sure. That’s what you need to do this time of year,” Crosby said. “And for somebody who has as much as experience as he does, and played in some of the big games that he’s had, that’s a big boost for us. Besides just the production, I think just the poise, too.”

A prime example came in the last game of Pittsburgh’s five-game road trip against the Hurricanes, with just over five minutes left to play in regulation.

First, Karlsson negated a clearing attempt from Carolina along the right boards with his left skate. The Penguins then worked the puck back to Karlsson on the right point.

He proceeded to calmly deke around Sebastian Aho, with one of the best two-way forwards in the game losing his footing in the process. Karlsson moved into the slot, picked his spot, and absolutely sniped a shot past Freddie Andersen.

It tied the game at 4-4, helping the Penguins get a point in an eventual 6-5 overtime setback. It was the second time that night that Karlsson had knotted the score.

“There's not too many guys in the league who can do what he does, especially when he's at the top of his game,” Bryan Rust said. “He’s helping being a calming presence, both on the ice, on the bench, too. When we get in these shaky situations, it’s great having a guy like that back there.”

“When things are tight, who’s going to be able to create that momentum shift or create that play? Erik’s done that throughout the year. He’s been great for us all year,” Muse said.

After his first two seasons with Pittsburgh didn’t reach expectations from both an individual and team perspective, Karlsson has certainly benefited from a fresh start under a new coaching staff. Muse has repeatedly said that while they looked at each player’s past, the page got turned quickly for everybody.

But Karlsson has also just seemed to hit his stride and find his spot within this group.

He has been fantastic from a leadership standpoint, and what’s been really noticeable is how he is always willing to answer the bell when it comes to the media. Karlsson will stay in the locker room after games, and provide insightful commentary into each win or loss, keeping a healthy perspective and not getting caught up in the highs and lows. When he talks, you listen, as evidenced by his speech to the group before passing off the player of the game helmet to Rickard Rakell.

Overall, he brings so much to the team dynamic with his big, unique personality, and the guys love the humor and energy that Karlsson has in spades. And when he plays with that zest for life and love for the game, Karlsson is at his best.

“Karl has got a swagger about him right now that I think is good,” Rust said. “Any time you get a player with that much skill and can do that many amazing things with the puck, but he has that swagger and that confidence, you see him make plays that other players can’t make.

“You see him in every single situation, playing well, doing things that this team needs to win games, and you can see he’s having fun with it. He's a guy who usually has fun, and he usually has a smile on his face, and he's having a good time, but you can tell how well he's playing, and he's kind of just feeding off that. He just keeps going and going.”