John Ludvig brings rare dose of belligerence to Penguins lineup
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John Ludvig probably had no idea what coach Mike Sullivan said about him ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sunday afternoon home game vs. the Edmonton Oilers.
“He’s physical, and he brings that added dimension to our blue line that we don’t have a lot of, quite frankly,” Sullivan said before puck drop.
Ludvig lived up to that description during the second period of the eventual 4-0 loss.
With 9 minutes, 25 seconds left before intermission and the Penguins trailing 2-0, Edmonton’s Warren Foegele high-sticked Erik Karlsson along the Penguins’ boards.
Seconds later, Ludvig tracked down Foegele and initiated a fight, throwing the Oilers forward to the ice in a quick tussle.
Penguins rookie John Ludvig gets an instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct after he dropped the gloves with Warren Foegele. ???? pic.twitter.com/NamCCt4CaB
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2024
Karlsson avoided injury on the play that earned Foegele a four-minute double-major penalty.
As for Ludvig, he wound up setting the Penguins’ 2023-24 season-high for individual penalty minutes in a game, racking up 17: two for instigating, five for the fight itself and a 10-minute game misconduct.
Kris Letang’s 12 minutes accrued Dec. 16 vs. Toronto were the previous season high.
Ludvig said after the game that he didn’t exactly have a clear picture of the play on the boards between Foegele and Karlsson.
What he did see was a teammate grimacing in pain, which proved more than a sufficient reason to drop the gloves.
“I honestly didn’t see what happened at all,” Ludvig said. “Just saw (Karlsson) on the ice bleeding. I wasn’t sure if he got hit or what happened, so I just stepped in there because I didn’t know. … We needed a spark there, so that was part of it.”
The spark Ludvig hoped to provide was not forthcoming for the Penguins (28-27-8), who have dropped six of their past seven games.
This year, Ludvig has been in and out of the nightly lineup, serving as a healthy scratch at times while also battling through two stints on long-term injured reserve.
In 25 games, he has a goal and an assist while averaging 11 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time.
What the rookie blue-liner did Sunday was appreciated by teammates.
“He’s done that all year,” forward Reilly Smith said. “He’s a heart-and-soul guy for this team. It seems like he’s always the first one to jump in. Those are the things you need as a group. As a committee, I think we have to do a better job of doing that and not relying on him.”
Ludvig’s actions ultimately negated a four-minute power-play try for the Penguins when the game was in reach. That marked the third time in the afternoon a Penguins penalty promptly neutralized one of their man-advantages.
In the first period, a roughing call on Jeff Carter ended a power play after 47 seconds, then, shortly thereafter, a bench minor for too many men on the ice ended one 56 seconds in.
Sullivan defended Ludvig after the game.
“I thought (Ludvig) did a terrific job sticking up for his teammate,” Sullivan said. “That’s something that he brings to our team. He’s a brave guy, he’s a great teammate and that’s part of what he brings to our group is just his ability to stick up for his teammates. … I don’t have a problem with it.”
The fight was Ludvig’s fourth this year and first since Dec. 31 against the New York Islanders’ Matt Martin.
Ludvig re-entered the lineup Saturday in Boston for the first time since Feb. 18, skating for 13:55 alongside Ryan Graves on the third defensive pairing.
Sullivan made major changes to his blue line Sunday vs. Edmonton, tweaking all three pairings.
Ludvig’s partner changed from Graves to P.O Joseph (both left-handed shots), with Ludvig, a fellow lefty, playing on his off-side for the second straight game.
The recent trade of Chad Ruhwedel, a righty who regularly served on the third line, has left the Penguins with limited options there.
So far, Sullivan has tasked Ludvig with playing right-side defense.
“Well, obviously, it’s not ideal,” Sullivan said. “It’s not ideal for him or for us, but right now, we only have two lefties in that third pair, so somebody has to play that position.”
Sunday, Ludvig skated for just 7:49, spending nearly the first 11 minutes of the third in the penalty box.
While declining any self-praise when asked about his recent performances, Ludvig is embracing the role Sullivan has given him, hoping to make the most of every appearance.
“It’s different from playing the left side for sure,” he said. “It’s my job to be good on that side and play my game over there every night. These last couple games have been difficult, and I haven’t been great. It’s not helping the team out, but it is nice to be back playing.”
Notes:
•The Penguins did not practice Monday because of a scheduled travel day to Ottawa, Ontario.
• Forward Jonathan Gruden was placed on waivers Monday afternoon. Gruden, who’s frequent shuttled between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, scored one goal, his first in the NHL, through 11 games with the Penguins this year. The 23-year-old can be claimed by other NHL clubs up until 2 p.m. Tuesday, after which time he’s eligible to be reassigned to the AHL.