Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson grapples with sitting out playoff opener
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Jack Johnson has been a healthy scratch before in his career.
As recently as last season, he sat on the sidelines while his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates faced the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.
Did that experience make it easier to deal with the frustration of sitting out the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders in their playoff opener Wednesday night because of a coach’s decision?
Nope. Not in the least.
“It’s real hard,” Johnson said.
“Coach said I’m playing well, I’ve done everything they’ve asked of me,” he said later. “They just had to make a decision.”
The decision came about when Brian Dumoulin returned from a lower-body injury, giving the Penguins seven strong candidates for six spots on the blue line.
It looks like Sullivan will have to make the decision again before Game 2 Friday night.
Dumoulin, who left the ice for medical attention after taking a hard check from Brock Nelson in the first period Wednesday, practiced without restrictions Thursday. So did Erik Gudbranson, who went to the locker room briefly after suffering an apparent left leg injury when Anders Lee took him into the boards in the third period.
If Dumoulin and Gudbranson are good to go, Sullivan will have to decide whether to stick with Olli Maatta, who was a minus-2 in Game 1, or turn to Johnson.
Johnson stayed on the ice well after practice ended Thursday, skating with Zach Trotman, Teddy Blueger and Casey DeSmith, which would lend credence to the theory that he won’t be in the lineup Friday.
“It’s not so much about keeping people happy,” Sullivan said. “It’s about trying to make the best decisions that we think help our team win, and everybody has to be on board with that. I think that’s just the nature of the business that we’re in. That’s the world we all live in. Our coaching staff tries to communicate as honestly and as straightforward as we can with all our players on the decisions that we make and why we make them.
“As I say to our players all the time, we don’t always expect them to agree with the decisions, but our hope is that they will respect the decisions. We’ll reevaluate game to game. We ultimately, each and every night, try to put a lineup on the ice that we think gives us the best chance to win.”
As for Johnson, he said Sullivan’s decision didn’t necessarily take him by surprise.
“I’ve learned to not be surprised anymore,” he said.
He also said he’ll try to stay ready as best he can.
“Try to stay fresh, take care of yourself, do all those things,” Johnson said. “I’m going to do the best I can to take care of myself mentally and physically.”
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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