The Penguins’ early-season mess has not been about one bad stretch or one bad player. It’s been about a team spending far too much time on its heels, giving the puck away in brutal spots and making life harder on itself almost every night. After two straight losses, and with only a big lead over the Montreal Canadiens in the second game of the season keeping the skid from becoming three in a row, the larger issue is clear: Pittsburgh has been beating itself.
That problem has shown up all over the ice. The goaltenders have taken heat, but the bigger issue has been how freely the defensemen have handed over possession.
The forwards haven’t exactly been a clean fix, either. They’ve looked like a mix of promise and confusion, with the chemistry never quite matching the talent.
One of the biggest questions right now is Hendrix Lapierre. In Game 1, he was fast, he drove play, and his line with Ville Koivunen and Filip Hallander found the net.
Since then, though, his usage has changed. Lapierre played center in that opener, but after Ben Kindel returned, he has been moved around on the wing.
That would be easier to revisit if the Penguins still had Hallander, but they traded the “expendable” Hallander on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh’s forward group has a clear imbalance. The roster has plenty of players who want the puck, but not enough who consistently win it back.
That has left the offense looking awkward and dependent on quick strikes, a few individual efforts, and the power play, which supplied four goals in the first two games. What it has not produced much of is sustained time in the offensive zone.
Coach Dan Muse has praised Lapierre’s ability to play all three forward positions, but Lapierre has looked more natural in the middle. At center, he brought pace and clean puck movement.
On the wing, he has been largely invisible. The issue is that there isn’t much space down the middle, but finding him a useful role still feels like a priority.
The lineup problems don’t seem like a one-move fix. One adjustment creates two more questions.
Still, there is at least one wrinkle Muse has not tried yet: Tommy Novak on Sidney Crosby’s wing. That alignment worked for a stretch last season and could give Muse a chance to push Ben Kindel higher or keep Rust with Kindel to see what develops.
Lapierre could then fill the other opening, especially since Novak has three goals this season but has been quiet and hasn’t really driven that line.
On the back end, Kris Letang and Trevor van Riemsdyk have been hard to pin down. They each gave the Washington Capitals a goal Wednesday night, which only sharpened the scrutiny around them.
The numbers are mixed in a way that doesn’t make the picture any clearer. With Pittsburgh scoring 13 five-on-five goals this season, the pair has been on the ice for just one goal for, but only one goal against together as well.
Their scoring chance ratio sits at 58%, while their expected goals ratio is 48% and their high-danger chance rate is 45%, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
The eye test hasn’t done them many favors, either. Van Riemsdyk has been fine.
Letang has looked a step off. Put them together and the result has been bland, and it’s fair to wonder whether both will still rank among the team’s six best defensemen by mid-season, or even next month.
There are other young names in the mix, too. Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke had combined for 11 shots over the first two Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins games.
Then there’s Sidney Crosby, who isn’t dealing with a classic age-related decline so much as a slow start tied to rhythm. With camp and preseason shortened, he hasn’t had as much time to build into form, and he’s not there yet.
“It’s been different every day. Some games, I’ve had chances and just haven’t put them in,” said Sidney Crosby.
“Other games, there haven’t been chances. I feel like if you’re getting chances consistently, eventually, they’re going in.
You trust they will. I need to be better and find a way to create a little more.”
That kind of start is not new for him. Even last season, he had five points (2-3-5) in the first five games, and he’s had other slow openings before. Crosby was pointless through the first five games of 2015-16, and he has also gone goalless in the first handful of games in 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2018-19.
In Other News...
Sidney Crosby's Slow Start Has Penguins Fans Facing A Tough Reality
Sidney Crosbys opening week has looked nothing like the standard hes set for so long in Pittsburgh. Through the first four games, he has yet to score a goal, has only two assists and sits at minus-3, even as he has continued to win faceoffs and put pucks on net. For a player whose game has always been built on drive, detail and constant pressure, the early numbers stand out because the process has not disappeared, even if the finish has.
The concern now is less about one cold stretch than what it might mean over time. Crosbys overall impact has dipped, and there is at least some question about whether the knee injury he dealt with during the Olympics is still lingering and affecting his play. For Penguins fans, the uncomfortable part is obvious: when the captain is still involved but not driving results the way he once did, it invites a harder conversation about age, wear and what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Fought Back But One Familiar Problem Ruined It
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Sergei Murashov was a huge part of that fight, turning aside 43 of 45 shots and making several important stops in overtime to give Pittsburgh every chance to steal it. But once the game got to the skills competition, the familiar issue surfaced again, and the Penguins could not cash in on their chances while the Blue Jackets did just enough to take the 3-2 decision. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Have A Sidney Crosby Problem They Can't Ignore
Sidney Crosbys start to the season has been quieter than the Penguins would like, and it has only added to the unease around a stretch that has now carried over from late last season. Pittsburgh has been cycling through different line combinations in an effort to spark him, a reminder that even with a player of Crosbys stature, finding the right chemistry can still be a moving target.
The concern is not just about one slow opening, but about how long this has been building for the Penguins captain. He has struggled to consistently finish chances for months, and the team is clearly looking for familiar faces to help settle things down. A reunion with Bryan Rust on his wing could be one of the cleaner fixes available, but the Penguins still have to see whether the answer is as simple as putting Crosby back with the players who know his game best. [Read more 🡒]