COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was obvious the Penguins' penalty-kill would miss Teddy Blueger while he recovered from a broken jaw, but the extent to which they've struggled in his absence has made it crystal clear that he sets the tone for the entire unit on a nightly basis.
The Penguins currently boast the NHL's second-best penalty kill at an 86.5% success rate, but in the 11 games since Blueger's injury, they have managed to kill only 76% of the opposition's man-advantages.
Beyond their raw penalty-kill percentage, the Penguins were ceding an incredible 3.