The Pittsburgh Penguins' depth has been a hallmark of their success this season - and it's something that has let them down on the scoresheet in recent games.
Every game that passes when the Pittsburgh Penguins are without the services of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is a hurdle that is quite a bit more difficult for them to climb, especially given the craziness that is the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Luckily, both Crosby and Malkin skated with the team on Sunday, which is one day ahead of their biggest game of the season against the New York Islanders. However, even if the "big guys" do crack the lineup Monday, the Penguins have a bit bigger of a problem that has been plaguing them as of late.
Yes, team defense has been a bit of an issue, as has goaltending. The Penguins have allowed four or more goals in five of their last six games and in 10 of their 15 games during the month of March.
But another big issue for them in recent games has been their lack of depth scoring.
Something that has been a hallmark of this Penguins' team during the 2025-26 season has been their ability to get production from up and down their lineup. They've been able to roll four lines pretty consistently, and every line - for the most part - has had at least one scoring threat on it.
Well, that was before the Olympic break, anyway - and certainly prior to the last couple of weeks.
Since the Olympic break, five players - Bryan Rust, Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson (who has been phenomenal) - have accounted for 64.3 percent of the team's scoring. Crosby and Malkin have combined for three goals, while Noel Acciari and Tommy Novak have four goals each. This means only nine total goals have come from sources other than those players, and three of those nine have come off the stick of rookie Ben Kindel.
And the outlook is even more bleak in the last six games, where the Penguins have gone 2-3-1. Crosby, Rust, and Mantha have one goal each, while Rakell, Karlsson, and Chinakhov have combined for 13 goals.
The only two goals that have come from depth players in these last six? One by Acciari, and one by Kindel.
In short, that is a problem.
For one, even when Crosby and Malkin have been in the lineup - which hasn't been much since the break - they haven't really put the puck in the back of the net with regularity. So, even if they make their return, there's no guarantee that they're going to fill the net, even if they're setting up those other five guys.
Also, many of the players whose scoring has dried up were relatively regular contributors for most of the season prior to the break. In the 17 games since:
- Novak - who has seen regular minutes as the second-line center, scored three goals in seven games out of the break, and has 15 goals on the season - has just one goal in his last 10 games and no points in his last seven.
- Brazeau - who has 16 goals on the season - has just one goal since the break, one point in his last 10 games, and no points in his last seven.
- Kindel - who has 17 goals and 33 points on the season - has just three goals and six points since the break.
- Connor Dewar - who has 14 goals on the season - has no goals in his last 10 as well as one goal and three points since the break.
- Kris Letang - the quarterback of the second power play unit and who is supposed to be the secondary source of offense on the blue line behind Erik Karlsson - has three goals and 27 points on the season, and only three of those points have come since the break. He also hasn't scored a goal since Jan. 1.
All four of the forwards listed were on pace for right around 20 goals this season, and, now, Kindel - the 18-year-old rookie - is the only one still pacing that total. And Parker Wotherspoon - Karlsson's defensive partner known mostly for his ability on the defensive side of the puck - has the same number of goals as Letang and just one less point.
Of course, injuries to their top players have a trickle-down effect on everyone else in terms of matchups and the talent that is deployed on each line. However, if the Penguins are going to make the playoffs, they need to start getting contributions from lower in their lineup again - regardless of whether or not 87 and 71 are suiting up.
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