Consistent scoring has become a surprising issue for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered this season with a new aura around the organization. That aura and excitement have quickly dissipated, with the Penguins beginning the season 3-5-0 and struggling to find consistent scoring.

Through eight games, the Penguins are 20th in the NHL in scoring with 2.88 goals per game. A significant reason is their power play, which is an astonishing 2 for 20 (10%) on the season.

Adding Reilly Smith to their top unit in favor of Bryan Rust could spark more production on the man advantage. Smith has proven to have instant chemistry with Evgeni Malkin, already combining for a handful of goals on the season. 

Smith has already been playing on the left half wall on the Penguins' second power play unit, so the switch shouldn't change too much systematically. The 32-year-old winger practiced with the top power play unit this morning and figures to slot in tonight when the Penguins take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Power play isn't the only unit that should see changes. Rickard Rakell has begun the season in a slump, scoring one assist in the team's first eight games. Rakell is coming off a season where he became a pivotal piece for the Penguins offensive attack, finishing the year with 60 points (28G-32A) in 82 games.

Many of those points came while Rakell was with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the Penguins' top forward line. Similar to Smith and Malkin, Rakell had almost instant chemistry with Crosby but still split time between the top two lines last season.

It was no surprise that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan chose to begin the season with Bryan Rust on the top line in favor of Rakell, but it's past time to bump Rakell up. Rust has proven to have the ability to bounce between Crosby and Malkin's wings seamlessly, while Rakell has struggled to fit with Malkin this season.

The downfall would be breaking up the Penguins top line, which has produced a heavy percentage of their total offense. However, their success hasn't led to the overall success of the team, and this change could go a long way towards making the Penguins a more complete team.

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