Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson still playing captivating hockey at 1,000 games

During the Pittsburgh Penguins’ untamed 6-5 overtime home win against the Detroit Red Wings, defenseman Erik Karlsson was on the ice for a lot of goals.

By both teams.

To be specific, the Penguins scored two go-ahead goals during regulation with Karlsson directly involved.

And the Red Wings scored their final three goals — including the final two that forced overtime — against Karlsson.

But the final — and most important goal — came directly from Karlsson via a blistering slapper from the slot.

HUGE GAME, ENORMOUS OT WIN. pic.twitter.com/eZJWXdm3EY

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2024

In a lot of ways, the 26 minutes, 22 seconds of ice time Karlsson logged Thursday was a perfect representation of who he is an NHLer.

Fabulous offensively.

Flawed defensively.

Fiercely captivating.

It’s been that way through the first 999 career games of his NHL career.

It will be that way when he takes the ice for his 1,000th game, presumably Saturday in a home contest against the Boston Bruins.

And however more games he tacks onto his resume that is already worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“When he’s on the ice, he’s such a competitive guy,” Penguins forward Rickard Rakell said. “He wants to be the guy making the plays. I’m very happy to have him as a teammate. He’s been huge for us lately. I’m happy for him getting his 1,000th game. It feels like he’s been playing 2,000 games because it feels like he’s been such a dominant player for a long time.”

A first-round pick (No. 15 overall) of the Ottawa Senators in 2008, Karlsson entered the NHL one year later.

In his debut, the sleek Karlsson (6-foot, 190 pounds) manned a Senators blue line that included the brawny likes of Matt Carkner (6-4, 227 pounds), Filip Kuba (6-4, 225 pounds), Chris Phillips (6-3, 219 pounds) and Anton Volchenkov (6-1, 220 pounds).

All were perfectly reliable defensemen for that time.

But in the 15 years since, the NHL has organically shifted away from those types of players and began looking for more Karlssons. Or reasonably facsimiles.

“It’s probably hard to expect a lot of guys to have what he has,” said Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, who entered the NHL four years before Karlsson. “But just seeing the impact that he has on the game out there and what he’s able to do, I’m sure it’s definitely got teams and scouts and everything thinking differently. That’s a trend that’s kind of taken time. When he first came in, right away you could see how talented and how good offensively he was.”

AP

Defenseman Erik Karlsson was the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick (No. 15 overall) with the Ottawa Senators in 2008.

That shift isn’t exclusive to the NHL.

It’s taken effect in his native Sweden.

“A lot of young defensemen coming up, I think for a long time, have modeled their game after him,” said Marcus Pettersson, Karlsson’s defensive partner and fellow Swede. “You hear people always compare, it’s either (Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning) or it’s (Karlsson,) those two. … Growing up, everyone wants to be a forward. I think he’s changed a lot of minds, and a lot of people want to be a (defenseman) all of a sudden because of him. He’s meant a lot to a lot of young players back home.”

Karlsson’s impact was seismic on the Senators, the franchise with which he spent his first nine NHL seasons.

“He’s probably one of the most competitive (people) I know,” said New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Karlsson’s teammate for six seasons in Ottawa. “Whether it’s playing cards, playing soccer before a game, playing anything, he wants to win. He wants to be the best. That’s a quality of him.

“A couple of years ago, people were doubting him and he pretty much said, ‘(Expletive) you’ to everyone. ‘I’m going to prove that I can still win, still be the best.’ That’s what he did.”

A 2018 trade sent Karlsson west to the San Jose Sharks. While he never experienced significant success from a team perspective with the Sharks, he orchestrated one of the most dominant individual offensive performances ever by a defenseman last season, posting 101 points in 82 games and winning the Norris Trophy, which recognizes the league’s top player on the blue line, for the third time in his career.

“He outwits other players on the ice,” Sharks forward Kevin Labanc said. “He’s just really good and creative with the puck. That’s why he’s had such a long career. He can handle those extra-long minutes as well. … Skilled player, makes good plays, has a great shot. He’s got it all. Only six defensemen in NHL history (have gotten) 100 points. It’s incredible.

“It’s no surprise that he’s doing as well as he’s doing.”

AP

As a member of the San Jose Sharks during the 2022-23 season, defneseman Erik Karlsson scored 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 games.

With the Sharks going nowhere from a competitive standpoint, Karlsson requested a trade last summer and wound up with the Penguins by August. Fueled by a desire to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career, Karlsson’s pursuit of that has been mixed, much like the Penguins as a whole in 2023-24.

In 79 games, Karlsson has 52 points (10 goals, 42 assists). Strong totals to be sure, but not against the context of a 100-point season.

“Obviously, he’s not having the year he had last year and you’ve seen it kind of weigh on him a little bit at times,” Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic said. “He knows that he has a little bit more to give, but at the same time, you also know that he’s going to give you what he’s got and come through for you when you need it. (Thursday) night was a big one, we needed him and he came through.”

At 33, there are few signs Karlsson is about to change his ways. Goals will be scored when he’s on the ice.

For both teams.

That’s who Erik Karlsson has been and always will be.

“Just his confidence level and the belief in himself, you see it in him, you see it in Sid,” Rakell said. “They always think that they’re going to make the plays out there. They want to be the guys making the plays. That’s the reason they keep trying it. They know they’re going to succeed. There’s no defeat in them. They know they’re that good, that they can always make plays and make things happen on the ice. That’s a big thing for why they’re still as good as they are.”