The Pittsburgh Penguins have to be better in the first period.

The first period hasn't been kind to the Pittsburgh Penguins in January. They have been outscored 13-8 in the opening frame through seven games, with half of their eight goals coming from one performance against the Boston Bruins.

The oddity of those slow starts is how well the Penguins have responded in the second and third periods, outscoring opponents 14-5. On multiple occasions, the Penguins have been able to erase their early deficits but have fallen short of coming away victorious. 

Most recently, the Penguins proved why even staying scoreless through one period could lead to a dominant result. After a scoreless first period against the red-hot Seattle Kraken, the Penguins cruised to a 3-0 victory, ending the Kraken's nine-game winning streak and leaving little doubt who was the better team.

Early multi-goal deficits will typically be too much to overcome. The Penguins have done so a few times in recent weeks but have fallen short. Considering where the Penguins sit in the playoff picture, they won't be able to make the postseason by racking up overtime losses.

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