The Capitals forward hasn't scored in the last 68 games and is struggling from a production standpoint while playing limited minutes.
When it comes to his recent play with the Washington Capitals, Hendrix Lapierre doesn't feel like he's been any better or any worse.
That's been the story so far for him this year, as a wildly successful preseason has so far hasn't translated into the regular season.
The 23-year-old's ice time has fluctuated, though of late, it's dwindled as he's centered a fourth line with Sonny Milano and Ethen Frank while Nic Dowd recovers from an upper-body injury.
Lapierre played just over seven minutes in Sunday's win over the New York Islanders and logged 5:39 minutes on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he's averaging just 9:41 minutes per night. Some of it is situational, but coach Spencer Carbery has cited the desire for "reliable" minutes from No. 29.
"Just being reliable and doing things that are going to lead to positive shifts for his line and our team," Carbery said when asked what he's looking for out of Lapierre.
He's also struggled to produce consistently; three of his five points have come over the last six games, and though the chances are there, Lapierre just hasn't been able to finish. His last goal came on March 18, 2024, as he's gone 68 games without finding twine at the NHL level.
It's a frustrating thing for any player, but especially for a rising forward trying to solidify his role at the NHL level and prove his worth, all while being in a contract year and playing in the best league in the world.
"Every single game is hard. There's not a game that's a little easier," Lapierre said. "When you're in juniors, some games where you're playing against the bottom team, sometimes it's like, 'Okay.' There's a really big difference between first and 18th place. But when you go into pro, even the American Hockey League, every game is a battle and there's no nights that you can take off.
"You play and you practice and maybe you don't feel as good the day after and then you play again and then you travel... that's what makes it really hard."
And while it's easier said than done, Lapierre isn't giving into the frustration.
"You trust the work that you put in and that you're doing the right things," Lapierre said. "You'll get frustrated from time to time, it's normal when you miss a chance or when your line misses a chance or when it's been a while since you haven't scored or anything. I think you just trust what you've been doing, you trust your work, your preparation and that eventually, good things are going to happen."
While the puck's not going in, there are positives when it comes to his game, and of late, he's starting to do more of the right things when he does get the ice time.
At 5-on-5, he leads the Capitals in scoring chances-for percentage (61.21) and ranks second behind only Tom Wilson in expected goals-for percentage (57.79). He's also shown his versatility and willingness to play either center or wing.
"I missed a lot of chances and our line's missed a lot of chances in games before and we didn't have any points, but that doesn't mean that we weren't playing well," Lapierre pointed out, adding, "I've been on the ice for a little more goals for and stuff recently, but I feel like it's just kind of the process coming around."
That said, at this point, Carbery isn't concerned about the lack of scoring for Lapierre — in fact, he isn't looking at the totals at all.
"I don't think there's any focus on him scoring. We try to focus on little habits inside of his game to get himself into spots where he has an opportunity to either set up a teammate to score or get himself in good spots," Carbery said, adding, "If you do those enough, good things will happen for you."
For Lapierre, it's all still a learning experience, and the biggest thing is not only to continue playing his game and putting in the work to improve while not getting sucked into the negatives.
"Is it going to be perfect? No, but you got to learn to manage those emotions and not get too frustrated and not let it take you out of your game," Lapierre said. "Trust your work, trust your preparation."