Ludvig 'sticks up for our guys,' brings edge in OT loss to Predators

"Luddy made a really nice play to get back to me," Rust said. "I was actually trying to shoot it off (Sidney Crosby) back door, and I actually hit their guy."

Ludvig might have earned even more appreciation from his teammates for what he did in the prior period.

He stands 6 feet 2, 213 pounds, but he's not exactly massive , like Nashville forward Michael McCarron is. McCarron stands 6-6, 232 pounds, and is an experienced fighter at all levels. Including the preseason, he had three fights in 2023-24 entering this game.

McCarron did his job, responding to Ludvig's consistent physicality, and stepped up to fight him in the second period. Ludvig answered the bell and seemed to get the better of it:

"I was just playing hard, throwing hits and going after some of their top guys," Ludvig said after the game. "So I knew (McCarron) was going to eventually come up to me and say something. That's just how it started. ... It was it was a good fight. I landed some punches. He's a big guy, so it's kind of tough to get him down. But that was fun. It was good."

Ludvig quipped that it "might have been smarter" to find a smaller opponent for his first NHL fight, but he knew that McCarron was "one of their tough guys, he was looking for it."

Ludvig was credited with only two hits, but he was noticeably making an impact. He also was, as he noted, frequently on the ice against the Predators' better players. His most frequent forward opponents was Nashville's second line of Kiefer Sherwood, Juuso Parssinen and Luke Evangelista, and his most frequent opponents on the back end were the top defense pairing of Ryan McDonagh and the resident superstar Roman Josi. 

That physicality has been evident in every game Ludvig has played this season, even in his brief NHL debut Oct. 24 before he was concussed as a result of an open-ice hit he initiated on the Stars' Radek Faksa. Ludvig's rate of 10.05 hits per 60 minutes of ice time is the second-highest rate of hits on the team this season, behind only Noel Acciari's 10.35. Ludvig has also been one of the Penguins' best shot blockers, with his rate of 5.02 shots blocked per 60 minutes ranking third on the team behind Acciari (6.35) and Ryan Graves (5.65).

It's easy to forget that Ludvig is just 23 years old, and that this was only his fifth NHL game. In his limited time in the league, he's carried himself with the poise and confidence of a much more experienced player, and he doesn't seem out of place at all on this roster.

After nearly a month of recovery from that concussion that included a two-game conditioning stint in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Ludvig made his return in the Penguins' game against the Rangers last Wednesday. He spoke the day before that return, and was asked if he anticipates playing the same physical game after what happened in his debut.

"I mean, I've always played like that and things exactly like that have happened to me before," Ludvig said. "And I know if I play that way a little bit on the edge, things like that are going to happen and I'm fine with that. It's not going to change how I play."

Still, a fight is a little different than just playing a hard, physical game. I asked Ludvig if there was any apprehension at all, given his recent concussion.

"No, no," he said. "I've had a few concussions now. But they don't really faze me too much. It's just something that happens when you play the way that I play."

His coach was impressed with his game tonight ... and throughout the season.

"I thought he played solid," Mike Sullivan said. "He brings some edge to our team. He sticks up for our guys. I think he's getting more comfortable with every day that he's here. He moves the puck well. We played him on the right side there, he's playing on his off side. That's not an easy thing to do. And we think he's doing a real good job there."

Ludvig's teammates appreciate having someone that sticks up for them the way Ludvig can.

"He was awesome," Rust told me of Ludvig. "He was steady back there. He threw some big hits, had a big fight, had an assist. He was great. Anytime you have a guy in there who's going to make a difference physically, it's nice."

Ludvig was initially a third-round pick of the Panthers back in 2019. After three years in the Florida organization playing exclusively in the AHL, Ludvig was claimed off waivers by the Penguins on the day season-opening rosters were due this year. He came in as an eighth defensemen, one of four fighting for two third-pairing spots along with P.O Joseph, Ryan Shea and Chad Ruhwedel. With Joseph and Shea being left-handed like Ludvig, the competition to earn a spot was steep. He either had to beat out two other left-handed defensemen in Joseph and Shea, or prove to be a better option on the right side -- his off side -- than a natural righty like Ruhwedel.

Both Joseph and Ruhwedel are on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, making Sullivan's decision pretty easy right now when it comes to which defensemen to dress on a given night. But Ludvig is certainly making a case to be one of the defensemen who remains when the corps is once again healthy.

"Yes, yes, he does," Sullivan replied when asked if Ludvig has a chance to stay. "He's a good player. He brings a dimension that we don't have a lot of, and I think that he's a guy that I think is going to get better. He's a young player in the league. I think he defends well. I think he's a guy that can help us on the penalty-kill. He's strong at the net front. I think he's playing well for us.”

At the very least, Ludvig has made that decision much more difficult for all concerned.