Is #FreeBortuzzo Finally Happening??

The Pittsburgh Penguins may be facing the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight without defenceman Brooks Orpik, who left practice early yesterday and did not practice with the team today. This is the playoffs meaning there will likely be no injury update from Coach Dan Byslma, but Orpik has officially been declared a game time decision. This is a blow for the team, Orpik together with partner Paul Martin have been the Penguins best defensive pairing this series, but his absence potentially opens the door for Robert Bortuzzo, a young defenceman who has struggled to crack the lineup when the Penguins have been healthy this season.

I an ideal world, Dan Bylsma would keep Orpik and Martin together as his top defensive pairing, but if Orpik is out, I would pair Bortuzzo with Kris Letang, Rob Scuderi with Paul Martin and keep Olli Maatta with Matt Niskanen.

Robert Bortuzzo is a young, hard hitting, defensive minded defenceman. He doesn't really have a scoring touch which is why I think pairing him with Letang, who has a very strong offensive upside, would be ideal. Bortuzzo's defensive presence would allow Letang to join the rush, where Letang is a more comfortable and effective player. Bortuzzo also adds energy to the lineup with his big hits and physical play, something the Penguins have been lacking so far this series.

Scuderi and Letang have been the weakest of the Penguins defensive pairings, which is why I think they need to be separated. Scuderi is another one of those "stay at home defencemen" which essentially means that he is not fast so doesn't often join the rush. Martin, on the other hand, is fast, effective, offensive and moves the puck very well. If Martin is on his game and can play sound defensively, I think he can mask some of the mistakes that Scuderi has made so far this series.

The third pairing of Maatta and Niskanen has to remain in tact as far as I am concerned. They played together most of the season and have therefore developed good chemistry together. Maatta who is in his rookie season and playing in his first every NHL playoffs, has at times this series made some mistakes, and Niskanen had a poor start to game 3, but more often than not, they have been playing consistent hockey and are a strong third pairing.

The team might appear weaker on paper without Orpik in the lineup, but the Penguins haven't been desperate yet this series, and certainly haven't been matching the compete level of the Columbus Blue Jackets and I really think Bortuzzo can help with this. He is young, he has fresh legs, and most importantly, he knows that if he doesn't take advantage of this opportunity now, he might have to wait a year to get another one. I would expect a strong, high energy game from Bortuzzo, and hopefully he helps the Penguins take game 5.