For whatever reason, right-handed defensemen are harder to find than their left-handed counterparts in seemingly every level of hockey.

Through less than a week of play in the NHL this season, only 88 starboard defensemen have appeared in a game while 116 port-siders have suited up.

Somehow, the Penguins managed to stow away five right-handed blue liners on their roster.

Two of them, veterans Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba, have been healthy scratches through the first three games of the Penguins’ season.

That might change as soon as Tuesday for at least one of them.

As the team embarks on its first extended road trip of the season — a three-game jaunt through California starting with a meeting against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday — All-Star defenseman Kris Letang is sidelined on a “day-to-day” basis due to an undisclosed injury.

He was hobbled when he crashed into the boards awkwardly after trying to deliver a check in the third period and did not record a shift beyond the 2:08 mark of that frame.

Coach Dan Muse indicated that Letang will travel with the team for the trip. Regardless, the prospect of potentially getting in the lineup after being spectators to open the season is obviously appealing to Clifton and Dumba.

“Obviously, you don’t want to see that (Letang being injured),” Clifton said following a practice session in Cranberry on Sunday. “If we’re going to have the year that we want to have, I think we’re going to need a lot of (defensemen), we’re going to need a lot of extra forwards.

“I was on the outside and just being a cheerleader for a couple of days. I’m obviously excited to play. You don’t get to this level being OK with sitting out. You put your best foot forward and you wait for an opportunity. We’ll see what happens. I’ll be ready to go. … Practice is your game. You try to stay ready. Totally eager and excited for the opportunity.”

In addition to Letang, Erik Karlsson and rookie Harrison Brunicke have been in the lineup for all three games hitherto. Dumba would clearly like to join them.

“You work really hard during the summer to come in here and show your best game,” Dumba said. “I thought I did that. Just as a competitor and a person that believes in himself, I thought I had earned that. You’re upset. You always want more for yourself and believe in yourself, just as a competitor.

“At the same time, you’ve got to balance that with being a good teammate, showing up every day and just continuing to work hard. At any moment, you need to be ready. That’s how this league is. There’s always a next guy up and everyone is always working hard and competing to be in that lineup. If I get in, I want to make sure I work my hardest and doing all the little things that I need to do to stay in the lineup.”

There was little indication during Sunday’s practice to suggest if Clifton or Dumba had an edge in potentially replacing Letang. Beyond the top pairing of Karlsson and left-hander Parker Wotherspoon, the Penguins’ remaining healthy defensemen — Clifton, Dumba and Brunicke along with left-handers Caleb Jones and Ryan Shea — all rotated as duos during practice.

Just based on the preseason, Dumba appeared to make a strong case to be in the lineup regardless of any other factors. In four games, he posted three points (one goal, two assists).

The seventh overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, the 31-year-old Dumba has been a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL, predominantly early in his career with the Minnesota Wild. But the results have not been there in recent seasons and as a result, he is on his fifth team in five years.

“The thing for me is just having that confidence to have that poise with the puck and to deliver the puck on time,” Dumba said. “I think I see the ice well. It’s just getting the puck to these forwards, putting them in good position. That’s sometimes not doing that right away. You’re letting plays develop and using your own skating. When you draw guys to you, it only creates more space for those other guys. We’ve got some of the most skilled forwards in the world. I want to close on stuff quick, I want to bring that physical presence, energy.

“Those are the intangibles that I’ve always had throughout my career. So, just more of that.”

Clifton’s game is primarily rooted in defense and being physical. Over the past three seasons — either as a member of the Boston Bruins or Buffalo Sabres — he has led the team he’s played on in hits.

“I spent my career as a third right (defenseman),” said Clifton, 30. “Those top four (defensemen) are going to eat a lot of minutes. So for me, it’s important to go out there, create energy, wreak havoc, throw the body around, hopefully make some good plays, break the puck out well. I’ve made a career out of it. There’s different parts of my game, but it really starts with skating and being physical.”

Regardless of when they may be pressed into service, both players vow to be ready.

“You just play, you just try to get ready, really,” Clifton said. “That’s what I did. The (pairings) fall how they fall. And they’re going to change. All year, they change. Excited to get in. We have a lot of able bodies back there, especially with (right-handed defenseman).”

Brunicke gets physical

Getty Images In three games this season, Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke has one goal.  

At 19:35 of the second period in Saturday’s game, Penguins forward Blake Lizotte was dumped hard into the boards by Rangers forward Noah Laba.

Lizotte rose to his feet in a hurry as his helmet was dislodged and appeared eager to square things up with Laba but he was unable to do so.

That’s because Brunicke, all of 19 years old, got the jump on Laba and wrestled him in defense of Lizotte.

“I want to help my teammates whenever I can,” Brunicke said on Sunday. “I saw (Lizotte) had his helmet off. (Laba) was giving it to (Lizotte) a little bit there. I just tried to step in and give him a hand. … I’m just there to stand up for my teammates whenever I can.”

Brunicke earned a roughing minor for the fracas. And a considerable measure of respect.

“That kid is out there defending his teammates,” said Penguins forward Bryan Rust, 33. “He isn’t scared to go in there. He isn’t scared to do something for the team. That takes a lot of character.”

Brunicke wasn’t necessarily seeking accolades for his actions. But he values the sentiment.

“I would just hope that somebody would do the same for me,” Brunicke said. “We’ve all built that strong connection. Everyone is so close. I think everyone would do that for each other. But it’s nice to hear that from an older guy recognizing what I’m doing. It feels good.”

Koivunen sent down

KDP Studio Forward Ville Koivunen led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in scoring last season with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games.  

To activate Rust from injured reserve on Saturday, space needed to be cleared on the active roster. As a result, rookie forward Ville Koivunen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

It was largely the only transaction management had available to activate Rust.

At the time, Koivunen was one of three players on the NHL roster who did not require exposure to waivers to be assigned to a minor league affiliate.

The others are rookie forward Ben Kindel and Brunicke. But each of those players can only be assigned to their junior teams in the Western Hockey League, the Calgary Hitmen and Kamloops Blazers, respectively.

Returning players to a junior team is somewhat permanent, however, as those players can not rejoin their NHL clubs until their individual seasons are completed at the junior level.

But sending Koivunen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wasn’t just a matter of procedure. The 22-year-old Koivunen has all of 10 career NHL games and is still developing his game.

In two NHL contests this season, he had no points. And during a 4-3 home win against the New York Islanders on Thursday, he was demoted from the first to the third line.

“Part of it was also looking at if he’s going to be out of the lineup — which he was because we needed a roster spot and he was going to be the one coming out — have him play games (with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton),” Muse said on Saturday. “The thought process was he can go play games. We’ll see where it all goes. There’s a lot of upside. There was a lot of good. It’s just right now, that’s where things are today. Definitely, he’s had some bright spots. … We see that.

“We’re excited about him but it makes the most sense right now for him to be playing.”

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