Tommy Novak has struggled over the last few weeks, and the Pittsburgh Penguins need more out of him.
Tommy Novak has played in every game for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, and for good reason.
He's a good puck distributor and has an underrated release that can fool goaltenders. He's a jack-of-all-trades player who can play in basically any situation.
Penguins head coach Dan Muse has used him at center and wing throughout the lineup. Lately, he's been playing wing on the second line with Rickard Rakell and Evgeni Malkin. Novak and Malkin have shown some solid chemistry throughout the season, but Novak's individual game isn't where it should be right now.
Yes, Novak has compiled 15 goals and 40 points in 78 games this season, but he hasn't scored in his last 12 games. His last goal came against the Utah Mammoth on Mar. 14, a 4-3 win for the Penguins.
He also has only three points in these last 12 games. Two of those points came this past weekend against the Florida Panthers, but it still looks like he's fighting it a little bit out there. He's not shooting the puck as often as he was earlier in the season and looks a bit hesitant with his decision-making.
I'd like to see him clean that up a bit and get more consistent as the Penguins head into these last four games before a likely playoff berth. Novak is a player who can really help the Penguins when he's on and has scored some big goals for them this season.
If he can get out of this rut, it'd make the Penguins' forward group even more formidable than it already is.
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