Penguins forward Drew O'Connor has no goals in his last 25 games and is struggling to find his game this season It's no secret at this point that Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/] forward Drew O'Connor is struggling to score. The 26-year-old forward does not have a goal in his last 25 games, and he has only six points during that stretch as well. His last goal came on Oct. 18 against the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/penguins-fail-to-generate-offense-fall-to-hurricanes-4-1], and he has just three goals and 10 points in 31 games on the season. But perhaps to most staggering statistic is this: According to MoneyPuck [https://moneypuck.com/stats.htm], O'Connor's minus-6.1 goals above expected is a league-worst mark among all skaters.z This means that O'Connor should have six more goals than the three than he currently has, indicative of his inability to execute and finish relative to his chances. When asked about O'Connor's struggles, head coach Mike Sullivan offered a manner of support for the forward. "What I would say is in my experience of trying to help players go through struggles offensively is to take the focus off of trying to score," Sullivan said. "And we've had this conversation with OC, myself and Mike Vellucci both, and just focusing on playing the game the right way and the details associated with that." He added: "It's human nature when you're struggling offensively. If you just dwell on the fact that you haven't scored, and the conversation you have with yourself is, 'I gotta score, I gotta score, I gotta score'... it makes it harder to score. So, that's really the conversation and the advice or suggestions that we're giving OC is just, 'let's think in terms of trying to play the right way.' Just because OC hasn't scored goals, doesn't mean he hasn't helped us win games. He brings a lot more to the table than just scoring goals." Although this is definitely a good approach, O'Connor is struggling in other areas of the game as well. According to MoneyPuck [https://moneypuck.com/stats.htm], his five-on-five on-ice expected goals against per 60 is fifth-worst on the Penguins, and his on-ice high-danger shot attempts against per 60 is 3.55, which is fourth-worst. In addition, O'Connor's on-ice goal differential at five-on-five is tied for the team's worst mark at minus-13. When a player is mired in an offensive slump like this, there are no easy solutions. He has since been pulled from the second power play unit. He is still seeing time on the second and third lines despite his scoring deficiencies, and all of his other linemates are scoring at decent rates. His ice time has been up and down, and his play away from the puck hasn't been particularly inspiring, either. With his name being floated in trade rumors [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/5-forwards-penguins-should-pursue-in-trade-market], it may be best for the Penguins to take the best offer whenever it comes around. O'Connor - a pending UFA - is still young enough that a change of scenery may benefit in this situation, especially with his speed, penalty-killing, and lineup versatility. But with the Penguins starting to win some games - and contributions coming from all corners of their lineup - O'Connor is running out of time to unlock his offensive game in Pittsburgh. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
