Mark Madden: Amid adversity, resilient Penguins have taken on Sidney Crosby's identity

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been missing their entire second line and two-thirds of their third line. Those filling in are of marginal quality, and that’s a kind description.

Yet the Penguins had won four of five going into Monday’s home game with the New York Islanders, sported an 11-3-1 record in March and are legitimately in the hunt for first place in the East division. Not bad for a team minus half its regular forwards and thought to be on the downslide after not winning a playoff series since 2018.

So, to quote a great American philosopher, what’s causin’ all this?

The East’s better teams aren’t as advertised. That’s a small part of the equation.

But a big part of it is mentality. The Penguins don’t take no for an answer.

Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17 made them entitled for a spell. But that’s been embarrassed out of them, not least by losing to No. 24 seed Montreal in the prelim round of last year’s playoffs. These Penguins give 100% for 60 minutes, win or lose. They never coast, never assume.

More than ever, the Penguins have assumed the identity of their captain, Sidney Crosby. That doesn’t just apply to effort. The Penguins are systemic and defense-minded to an almost shocking degree. Crosby colors inside the lines more than any superstar in hockey history, and his team is following suit. Offense comes first, but defense is a close second.

The defensemen pinch judiciously. Leads are wisely managed. It’s heady stuff.

This change is happening minus Evgeni Malkin, the least inclined to embrace what’s happening. Will that give Malkin ideas, or will it give GM Ron Hextall ideas? It’s always difficult to get stars to stick to system. Crosby is that rare exception.

Kris Letang is buying into all this as much as he ever will. After a shaky start, Letang’s play has been inspired. He may be the MVP of this hot streak. He has two goals, 11 assists and a plus-12 mark during 15 games in March. He is a long-shot Norris Trophy (best defenseman) contender.

The Penguins are a one-line team. But it’s a great line. When did Bryan Rust turn into Mike Bossy? Rust’s improvement over the last three seasons is incredible.

The penalty-kill is 17 for its last 17. The power play is 6 for its last 19 but, just as important, is consistently generating momentum. Jared McCann isn’t a premium talent. Two goals and an assist on the top power play since joining it recently provide scant evidence to the contrary. But McCann looks to shoot, gets pucks on net and should remain on that unit even when those hurt return.

The bottom six mostly has been rotten. Few embrace the urgency of opportunity provided.

Frederick Gaudreau is an exception. He is a bit undersized but buzzes around, makes just enough plays and isn’t an empty jersey like, say, Mark Jankowski. The lineup figures to change quite a bit in the next few weeks, but Gaudreau deserves to stay in it.

All Tristan Jarry has to be is the second-best goalie in the division. He is certainly drawing a bead on that status.

Coach Mike Sullivan deserves much credit for shepherding his team through injury — not just now, but at season’s start when the defensive corps was ravaged. He’d be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) except having won two Cups informally disqualifies him.

Sullivan has the Penguins playing as he wants. That’s easier to do in desperate times, and with lesser talent.

Two big questions loom: Can the Penguins keep it up? Will this hot stretch change how Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke approach the April 12 trade deadline?

I don’t know, and I don’t know.

One hundred percent effort rarely breaks its own momentum. The Penguins need to get some injured players back, and who knows how the lineup falls together once that happens? The best bet is to put Jason Zucker on his own line, like Sullivan did with Phil Kessel in ’16. Zucker has the puck too much to skate with Crosby or Malkin.

Hextall simply can’t trade draft picks or prospects.

The Penguins only have three legit prospects in the first place. Their first-, third-, fourth- and sixth-round choices in this year’s draft belong to other teams.

The easy move is to deal from the surplus of left-sided defensemen. But how much immediate help would, say, Marcus Pettersson fetch? The cause might be better served by waiting till the offseason and trading him for a pick or a prospect.

Would the Penguins trust P.O Joseph to replace Pettersson right now? If they did, Joseph still would be playing. Joseph is a big part of the long game, but maybe not the short one.

I might make a minor addition at the trade deadline, but no more.

Enjoy what’s happening now. It could be temporary, but the Penguins look like they’re onto something.