Penguins Problems Stem Beyond Power Play
The Pittsburgh Penguins need to improve in more areas than just their brutal power play.
The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t score a power play goal since since early November and is clearly a key factor in the lack of consistency from the team.
While the power play is costing the Penguins wins, it’s far from the only major issue plaguing the team right now.
Beyond the power play, production from players outside of the first line has slipped exponentially.
The usual suspects on the second line, Evgeni Malkin and Reilly Smith have gone quiet since the end of the Penguins’ five-game winning streak.
In the nine games since seeing their streak come to an end, Malkin has only recorded two goals and two assists; one of those goals was the empty net tally against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Smith has hit a much rougher patch with no goals and only two assists over his last 13 outings.
Rickard Rakell has been injured for the last six games, but he has been the usual second line winger with those two and he’s yet to score a goal this season.
Looking further down the lineup, the injuries are piling up, but even with a healthy group, no one is stepping up to take over bottom six scoring.
Radim Zohorna was a viable option to step in and promote offense to the third and fourth lines, but he’s been relegated to the fourth line and even sitting on the bench far more than expected.
In the Penguins last contest against the Flyers, Zohorna only saw 4:52 of ice time.
Since the Penguins put a stomping on the San Jose Sharks, despite that being the start of a five-game winning streak, the breakdown of goals from the team has been extremely front loaded.
In the last 13 games played, the first line, led by Sidney Crosby, has recorded 18 total goals, the second line follows with just five.
The Penguins fourth line also has also tallied five goals over that span, with the third line chipping in three times.
Once again, the Penguins power play is still the lowest point for the team right now, but over the last 13 games they’ve scored as many goals as their starting netminder… one.
The power play is a huge problem, and does need to be solved, but there are more issues throughout the lineup that desperately need to be worked out.
Crosby is putting up a season worthy of so many accolades, but he can’t win all by himself.
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