COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Until Mike Matheson's injury in late February, the Penguins remarkably went over three months without any of their top six defensemen getting injured to the point that it would keep them out of the lineup.
When Matheson hit the shelf, Mark Friedman was the first blue liner presented with an opportunity to fill the vacancy.
Friedman played so well that he earned himself a spot in the lineup even upon Matheson's return, supplanting Marcus Pettersson who has been healthy-scratched in consecutive games.
While I'd argue Pettersson's performance this season doesn't warrant being healthy-scratched, it's encouraging, and quite frankly refreshing that Mike Sullivan is getting creative and testing out new combinations on the backend.