It's one thing for the Penguins to have to play without star center Evgeni Malkin. It's tough to have to play without star center Evgeni Malkin and number one defenseman Kris Letang. It's a down right pain in the ass to have to play without star center Evgeni Malkin, number one defenseman Kris Letang, and their best defensive defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Throw in the fact that Zach Aston-Reese is out of the lineup and it's impressive how well the Penguins played in March.
Last night, it looked like the injuries finally caught up. The Penguins have scored 2 or fewer goals in 6 of the last 9 games. They've only scored on the power play in two of those contests. Having Malkin and Letang back in the lineup would certainly help in the goal scoring department.
The Red Wings can really skate. Having Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin to counter that speed would have been a plus. Trotman has done fine when he's been thrust into the lineup, but he's nowhere close to the player that either Letang or Dumoulin is. Olli Maatta is a good player. He's never been accused of being fleet afoot. The speed was a problem last night.
If the Penguins don't get healthy, it spells trouble.