Nobody knows better than the Pittsburgh Penguins that the NHL playoffs are a war of attrition.
After all, they entered their last championship season as one of the most injury-ridden teams of the decade, then won the Stanley Cup without Kris Letang when a patchwork defense composed of names like Mark Streit and Ron Hainsey stubbornly backed the team to a championship.
Now, the Penguins find themselves uniquely prepared for that battle. Superstar second-line center Evgeni Malkin has been missing from the lineup ever since an awkward collision against the Boston Bruins on March 16.