W2W4: Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 4

1:12 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins hope to take a 3-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals with a Game 4 victory Wednesday night (8 ET), but to do so will be some kind of feat without No. 1 defenseman Kris Letang, who is suspended. Here’s what to watch for:

Letang’s replacement: Well, there’s no such thing. But it appears Justin Schultz will draw in for his second playoff game of the spring, having not played since the opening game against the New York Rangers.

Head coach Mike Sullivan doesn’t confirm lineup changes, so we’re just speculating, but Schultz was skating on a pairing with Ian Cole at Wednesday’s morning skate; Derrick Pouliot was paired with Trevor Daley while Brian Dumoulin was with Ben Lovejoy. Whether or not those pairings actually are the ones we’ll see in Game 4 remains to be seen — this is the time of year, after all, when coaches sometimes play mind games with the opposing team.

Somehow, those six guys have to fill the huge minutes the suspended Letang leaves behind. Letang is eligible to come back for Game 5.

“I mean, he plays 30 minutes a night, so he’s on in a lot of different situations,” captain Sidney Crosby said after the morning skate. “Guys will have to chip in and find ways to eat up those minutes in different areas. As far as how we play as a team, I don’t think that changes. We definitely have to have everybody step up in his absence.”

The Penguins will try to play to their strengths.

“We are not out there playing crazy, physical shutdown hockey,” said Lovejoy. “We’re out there playing with speed, trying to make their forwards and their D uncomfortable with smart decisions and lots of speed. We’re going to try …

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