Erik Karlsson’s Recent Brilliance Guiding Penguins Amid Playoff Push

Fast forward to today, and Karlsson has shown in recent outings why Dubas was so adamant about acquiring him despite his hefty price tag. Although he struggled during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh under former head coach Mike Sullivan, Karlsson has returned to prime form this season under new bench boss Dan Muse amid Pittsburgh’s unexpected playoff push. 

While offensive cornerstones Crosby and Malkin have swapped in and out of the lineup due to suspension and injury lately, Karlsson’s unmatched ability as an offensive defenseman has helped keep the Penguins afloat. Thanks to him, Pittsburgh now sits on the brink of erasing its three-season playoff drought.

The Karlsson/Wotherspoon Connection

Under Sullivan, Karlsson was by no means a liability for the Penguins on defense. A blueliner of his caliber never usually is. However, it was clear throughout the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons that Karlsson wasn’t playing up to his full potential, primarily due to Sullivan’s failure to adapt to his strengths. Still, the veteran had his moments, even if they didn’t come as often as Penguins fans expected. Karlsson finished with 56 and 53 points in each of those seasons respectively, and spent much of them alongside fellow Swede Marcus Pettersson on Pittsburgh’s top defensive pairing.

But for as good of a defensive partner as Pettersson was, Parker Wotherspoon has proven an infinitely better match for Karlsson throughout this season. The duo’s chemistry has been immediate ever since Muse first paired them together, as they both seem to complement each other’s play perfectly no matter the situation. Playing with Karlsson has been nothing but beneficial for the 28-year-old Wotherspoon, who’s set new career highs in goals (three) and points (26) — a byproduct of Karlsson’s strong play next to him.

Not many players — let alone defensemen — played better in the last month than the man they call “EK65”. Through 17 games in March, Karlsson racked up 24 points, including nine multi-point performances. Whenever the Penguins have needed a boost lately, he’s been there to provide it.

Karlsson opened the month with two apples on the powerplay at home against the Vegas Golden Knights, then added on in Boston a couple days later by tallying the Penguins’ lone goal in an eventual 2-1 loss to the Bruins. His torrid stretch only continued from there, as he registered a combined 15 points over his next 11 games during a 4-4-3 stretch for Pittsburgh.

No Sid? No Problem

Perhaps Karlsson’s most-impactful showing recently came back in his old stomping grounds in Ottawa against the team that drafted him back in 2008. Already without Malkin because of an upper-body injury, Pittsburgh’s lineup was dealt another crushing blow when Crosby went to the dressing room late in the first period following a seemingly-harmless collision with Nick Cousins. The Penguins’ captain returned for one more shift early in the second before exiting the contest for good due to a lower-body injury.

“When Sid leaves the game, we have two options. We can hang our heads and admit defeat, or everybody can just say to themselves ‘I’m gonna do my absolute best every time I get out there.’ I think we did that today, not only myself, but everybody,” Karlsson said following the Penguins’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Senators on Mar. 26.

That they did. After connecting with fellow Swede Rickard Rakell to knot the game at one in the first, Karlsson netted a tally of his own early in the middle frame with his signature wrist shot from the right point. Hindered by a perfect screen in front of the crease by Ben Kindel, Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark didn’t see the puck until it was too late.

The duo linked up again in the third when Rakell fired home a textbook one-timer from the left circle off a pretty feed from Karlsson, which would’ve stood as the game-winner if not for another Ottawa goal about two minutes later. Karlsson and the rest of his teammates’ efforts were rewarded in the end when Kindel captured the shootout win for Pittsburgh — something that’s been a rarity for the team this season.

Still without Crosby, Pittsburgh then returned home for one of its toughest tests of the campaign as it welcomed the playoff-bound Dallas Stars to PPG Paints Arena. But even while faced with one of the most talented netminders in the league in Jake Oettinger and a suffocating Stars defensive core, Karlsson still managed to leave his mark. His fingerprints were on each of Pittsburgh’s goals in the 6-3 defeat, logging a goal and two assists.

As the Penguins continue their playoff push, they’ll need Karlsson to continue to be at his best down the final stretch of the regular season. If Pittsburgh does wind up returning to the postseason for the first time since 2022, there’s no arguing that Karlsson would be a central part of that accomplishment.