Penguins notebook: Cullen says dog days of season are over

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Penguins wrapped up a stretch of five games in eight days Tuesday night, and at times, it looked like they were battling the fatigue that often hits teams in mid-February, especially teams that went on long postseason runs the year before.

When 40-year-old center Matt Cullen looks at his calendar, though, he thinks the dog days are over.

“I think we kind of look at it as we're sort of coming through the grind and into the fun part,” Cullen said.

Cullen said he thinks Saturday's Stadium Series matchup with the Flyers will help ramp up the enthusiasm level as well, not just because it's a marquee event, but also because it will be preceded by three days without a game.

“No question,” he said. “Anytime at this point in the season that you can get a little rest and let your body recover and mentally to sort of refresh, I think that's a big thing. I really do.”

Filling in for Bonino

Center Nick Bonino missed Tuesday night's game because of illness, coach Mike Sullivan said.

In his absence, Cullen moved up to the third-line center spot, and rookie Carter Rowney slotted in at center on the fourth line.

The hardest element of Bonino's game for the Penguins to replace is probably his work on the penalty kill. Bonino's offensive numbers are down this season — 0.36 points per game compared to his career average of 0.43 — but he leads NHL forwards with 81 blocked shots.

“He does a lot for us,” Sullivan said. “He plays in a lot of key situations. He's a penalty killer. He's a good two-way centerman.”

400 level

It might not be as ballyhooed as Sidney Crosby's 1,000th point, but 28-year-old winger Carl Hagelin reached a career milestone Tuesday night, appearing in the 400th game of his career.

“You still feel like a young kid and you still feel like you have a lot left in the tank, but it's definitely a fun accomplishment,” Hagelin said.

Short-sighted

Tom Kuhnhackl's goal Sunday against Detroit was the 10th of his career, counting regular season and playoffs. Four of them have come short-handed.

Given Kuhnhackl's skill set, it's not all that surprising.

For one thing, he's a committed shot blocker on the penalty kill, which sometimes leads to a short-handed scoring chance.

“When you're in a shooting lane, you never know,” Kuhnhackl said. “Maybe the guy comes out of the box or another guy gets a breakaway or whatever. It's a part of it.”

For another thing, he did once score 39 goals in a season in juniors. It's not like he doesn't know what to do with the puck when a short-handed opportunity presents itself.

“I think it just works out that way,” Kuhnhackl said. “You're just trying to not give up a goal. That's the most important thing. If you can put one in the net short-handed, that's a huge bonus for our team.”

Carolina family reunion

The Hurricanes made a minor trade before the game Tuesday, sending defenseman Keegan Lowe to Montreal for defenseman Philip Samuelsson.

Samuelsson, a former Penguins draft pick who played five NHL games for the team in 2013-14, will report to Charlotte of the AHL, where former Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, his father, is the coach.

A night at the museum

As part of the build-up to Saturday's Stadium Series game at Heinz Field, the Penguins are hosting an event Wednesday night at the Heinz History Museum. Admission will be free from 6 to 9 p.m., Penguins artifacts will be on display, and former players Francois Leroux, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Bryan Trottier and Pierre Larouche will sign autographs.

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.