Olli Maatta News

Maatta missed the Penguins' morning skate because of an illness but will play tonight according to the Penguins' official Twitter. Maatta has two assists and a plus-1 rating in 11 playoff games.

Maatta did not take part in the Penguins morning skate in New York earlier today. Maatta was sent back to the Penguins’ hotel upon arriving at MSG on Sunday morning. Several Penguins teammates implied he was not feeling well.Coach Dan Bylsma did not provide an update on Maatta, who has played in all 11 of the Penguins’ playoff games. Team policy is not to divulge details of players’ medical conditions during the playoffs.

Maatta missed the Penguins previous two games, but will return to the blueline tonight vs. Detroit. He will also have Kris Letang on the blueline with him in power-play situations. Maatta has tallied nine goals with 20 assists in 75 games.

Maatta served as a healthy scratch recently, so this could be another case of the Penguins getting their rookie defenseman some rest before the gruelling playoffs start. Consider him day-to-day.

Maatta being scratched is likely not a performance based decision, but simply getting a young defenseman some rest. He has played in 78 games this season (including the Olympics) which is a ton for a first year D-man, especially one playing over 20 minutes on most nights.

After his ninth game the Penguins had to decide whether or not to keep Maatta and burn the first year of his entry-level contract or send him back to juniors. "Based on his play, we believe this is the best decision for Olli and the Penguins." Penguins GM Ray Shero said. Maata has one goal and two assists while averaging 15:03 TOI in nine games.