WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Defenseman Scott Harrington has spent a lot of time in the NHL this season.
With a little luck, he actually might get to play there at some point.
There's not much reason to believe it will happen when the Penguins face Winnipeg at 8:08 p.m. today at MTS Centre.
After all, the Penguins have won five consecutive games, and the six healthy defensemen ahead of Harrington on the depth chart have done nothing to play their way into the press box.
Nonetheless, Harrington, who made his most recent trip from the Penguins minor league team in Wilkes-Barre to their NHL roster a few days ago, insists he is not frustrated by his inability to crack the lineup.
"Not at all," he said. "It's always great any time you get an opportunity to come up here.
"Whether you're playing games or no, you're still learning a lot every day. I've really enjoyed my time up here. It hasn't been frustrating at all."
His opportunity almost certainly will come at some point -- slumps and injuries are staples of the NHL -- and Harrington seems prepared to remain patient until it does.
"Who knows what's going to happen?" he said. "I'll just try every day to make the most of it."
Power surge ramifications
The Penguins have had 46 power plays in their first 11 games, a total tied for ninth-most in the NHL after Tuesday.
But because they have scored on 19 of those -- a conversion rate of 41.3 percent -- the Penguins might find opponents becoming more cautious about giving them opportunities with the extra man. That could translate to more even-strength scoring chances for the Penguins.
"Our power play is the best deterrent we have," coach Mike Johnston said. "Teams are intimidated to take penalties. They want to be careful [against] us.
"If teams are trying to be careful about taking penalties, you get a little bit more space, a [few] more opportunities to take pucks to the net."
The Penguins are unlikely to maintain their current level of production on the power play -- their success rate actually dropped when they scored on one of three chances in a 4-1 victory Tuesday in Minnesota -- but, for the moment, it is a weapon without equal in the NHL.
"It's going to go through its ups and downs over the course of the year," Johnston said. "But it's certainly well-coordinated right now."
Jets in high gear, too
The Penguins might be the hottest team in the NHL these days -- they've outscored their opponents, 23-4, in their five-game winning streak -- but the Jets aren't far behind.
Winnipeg is 5-0-1 in its past six games and has allowed just six goals in that span.
What makes the Jets' surge even more impressive is that they staggered to a 2-5 start.
Winnipeg's turnaround appears to be rooted in a team-wide commitment to the sound defensive principles preached by coach Paul Maurice.
"I think everyone's confident in each other," center Mark Scheifele told reporters after a 3-1 victory Tuesday against Nashville. "Everyone knows that every guy in this room is committed to defense and will do whatever it takes to keep a puck out of the net."
Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG.
First Published: November 6, 2014, 5:00 a.m.
