Penguins Preview: Pittsburgh Needs Something From Rickard Rakell
The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Chicago for a showdown with the Blackhawks.
PITTSBURGH -- When it rains, it pours for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Two tough losses in a row weren’t enough for the struggling Pens, outdoing themselves in an embarrassing loss against the Florida Panthers. Sitting seven points out of a playoff spot, the Penguins are set to appear in the second half of back-to-back games against the Chicago Blackhawks. Here’s what to watch for as the Penguins try to avoid losing four straight games.
1. Rusty’s Rolling
The Penguins may not be lighting up the score sheet lately, but they’ve been getting excellent work from forward Bryan Rust in recent games. He has three goals in his past five outings, but he’s also scored in back-to-back contests. Rust has quietly returned to form this season despite injury, putting up 30 points in 37 games. Staring down a four-game losing streak, the Penguins are counting on Rust to extend his goal-scoring streak and to help deliver a victory in Chicago.
2. Chicago’s Rebuild Continues
Unfortunately for the Chicago faithful, long gone are the Stanley Cup contending days for the Blackhawks. Despite the arrival of Connor Bedard, Chicago is miles from a championship roster. A testament to their mediocrity is the fact that Bedard has been out for nearly six weeks and is still firmly hanging onto the team-scoring lead.
With multiple first and second-round draft picks in the upcoming draft and even more prospects still working their way to NHL roles, the rebuild is in motion but a few years away from completion. In the meantime, they are arguably the worst team in the NHL this season and could be the perfect opponent to snap the Penguins’ losing streak.
3. Rakell Pointless Again
It cannot be overstated how much of the scoring Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, and Rust are doing for the Penguins. Beyond those four, it’s a lineup full of underwhelming offensive statistics. The biggest culprit of this is Rickard Rakell. Injuries have weighed down this season, but his cap hit doesn’t allow for much wiggle room.
Rakell has gone snakebitten again, goalless in four straight and with only five goals this entire season. The Penguins need better play from their wingers and a big game from Rakell would go a long way in solving their depth scoring issues.
The Penguins and Blackhawks face off at 8:30 p.m. at the United Center.
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