For lineup purposes, the news about Mike Matheson’s injury is in last night’s game is pretty big. It means the Penguins’ defense will be different in personnel for the first time since mid-November, a really long string of good fortune to play and build continuity with the same players in more or less the same roles for a large portion of the season.
And while Matheson has been playing well and certainly will be missed for his puck moving and carrying abilities, Pittsburgh recalled defender Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Wilkes-Barre today. That is really interesting for a few reasons.