Penguins can count on Brian Dumoulin, John Marino for spark when hockey returns

The Penguins don’t know when their next game will be played.

They are pretty sure defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino will be in their lineup when it happens.

That is very good news for the Penguins. They were an outstanding team with Dumoulin and Marino in the lineup this season and hovered somewhere between mediocre and bad when they were out with injuries.

“Those two guys are an important part of our blue line,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re certainly looking forward to the opportunity to return to play so that we can get some of these players playing consistently in a healthy form.”

Dumoulin had surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his left ankle Dec. 1 and missed the next three months. He also missed four games in October with a lower-body injury.

Marino missed five games in March after a deflected puck broke bones in his face. He also was scratched for the first two games of the season before the Penguins realized exactly what they had in the rookie from Harvard.

It might seem counterintuitive because both are defensemen, but their impact is felt most dramatically on offense.

In 26 games with both in the lineup, the Penguins went 15-7-4 and averaged 3.77 goals.

In the 32 games one or the other was out, the Penguins went 21-10-1 and averaged 3.13 goals.

In the 11 games neither played, the Penguins went 4-6-1 and scored 2.36 goals per game.

There are plenty of mitigating factors influencing those numbers, of course, especially the win-loss record. For instance, in the 10 starts that immediately followed Dumoulin’s ankle injury, Tristan Jarry went 8-1-1 with a .943 save percentage and three shutouts. Goaltending and shooting percentage can skew any set of small sample size stats.

Still, the difference is too stark to dismiss. It is clear the Penguins move the puck better when Dumoulin and Marino are playing.

“They’re good 200-foot players, mobile players, good size,” Sullivan said. “They defend well. With their outlet passes, they help our transition game. They help us on both sides of the puck in so many ways. We’re a much better hockey team when they’re in our lineup.”

Both players returned from injury March 3 and played five games before the NHL put its season on pause March 12.

The nature of their injuries are such that an extended break could be just what the doctor ordered, especially for Marino, who, theoretically, could shed the full face shield he was wearing by the time the puck drops again.

“If there’s any positive that can be taken out of suspension of play, it’s guys that are injured or coming off injury have more time to recover, and we’re no different than any other team in the league in that regard,” Sullivan said. “The suspension of play will provide an opportunity for injured players to recover.”

Another player the Penguins, obviously, will be glad to have back in the lineup, perhaps as soon as the next game they play, is Jake Guentzel.

Like Dumoulin and Marino, his play greatly impacts the team’s fortunes on offense.

With Guentzel in the lineup, the Penguins averaged 3.49 goals this season. After he hurt his shoulder Dec. 30, the Penguins scored 2.93 goals per game.

“Jake’s a difference-maker, and I think I’m stating the obvious when I say that,” Sullivan said. “When you think about the timeframe that was laid out after Jake’s surgery, it’s reasonable to think that we would get him back. So we’re excited about that potential opportunity.

“Knowing Jake the way we know him, he’s a real competitive kid. We know what this means to him. He loves to compete, and he’s a tough kid.”