Say It Ain’t So: Penguins Marino Has a Broken Cheek

The hits just keep on comin.’ Reports this morning revealed that Penguins defenseman John Marino suffered three broken bones in his left cheek when he was struck by a deflected shot off the stick of teammate Zach Aston-Reese in the waning minutes of Thursday’s 4-2 loss at Tampa Bay.

Shades of 2013, when Sidney Crosby suffered a broken jaw on a shot that deflected off the stick of Brooks Orpik, sidelining him for several weeks and costing him a scoring title.

The unwelcome news contradicts earlier reports from coach Mike Sullivan and the medical staff that “Marino would be fine.”

This is a potentially crippling blow. The Pens are already playing without their top shutdown defenseman, Brian Dumoulin. By all accounts Marino was enjoying an extraordinary rookie season and had established himself as a bona fide Calder Trophy candidate.

He was second among black-and-gold (make that black-and-blue) rearguards in scoring with five goals and 20 assists in 51 games, and second in plus-minus at plus-14. His Corsi a solid 51.0, especially given his offensive-zone starts percentage of 47.5.

A true do-it-all defenseman and an excellent skater, Marino hit, blocked shots and moved the puck with skill and aplomb. Thanks to his extremely low panic threshold and coolness under fire, he was often deployed in critical situations. Indeed, the 22-year-old was second among Pens blueliners in shorthanded ice time. He was a minutes muncher, too, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game.

More than that, he was the glue-guy…the problem solver on defense…slotting anywhere from the third pairing to the top tandem. Most recently he’d settled in beside fellow youngster Marcus Pettersson to form an effective second pairing.

He’ll be returning to Pittsburgh for further evaluation. It’s unclear if his injury will require surgery and/or how long he’ll be out. One thing is clear…it’s going to be next-too-impossible to replace him.

For now, Juuso Riikola will join Chad Ruhwedel on the bottom pairing. Struggling Justin Schultz bumps up to replace Marino on the second pair.