Pittsburgh Penguins Are Not Scoring Enough To Win Anything

The one thing many were worried about with the Pittsburgh Penguins was their depth on defense. They lost Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff in the offseason, just one year after losing Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. That is four players who could easily be top four on any team, and they lost them in a matter of two seasons. Somehow, the Penguins still rank sixth in the league allowing only 2.3 goals per game.

With those kinds of numbers, you have to believe the Penguins are crushing everyone in their way. They have an offense that has Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and newly acquired Phil Kessel. Three of the best scorers in the game, along with secondary players in Patrick Hornqvist, David Perron and Chris Kunitz. This offense is stacked.

Unfortunately, this stacked offense can’t score.

The Penguins rank 25th in the league with 2.2 goals per game. The Penguins cannot find a rhythm in the offensive zone. They are losing games they should be winning, all while seeing teams with much less talent score at will.

It isn’t an issue with the players on the ice. Any team would be will to trade top three lines with the Penguins. This team has a ton of offensive talent, but it seems like some are holding the stick a little too hard.

Malkin is the only Penguins player performing up to level. He has 11 goals and 11 assists in 23 games. Kessel is second on the team with seven less points. Even on the powerplay for which this team  should dominate, they only score around 16 percent of the time.

The Penguins need a better job from coach Mike Johnston, who isn’t getting a very motivated team on the ice. The players aren’t on the same page, and they keep making mental mistakes. Maybe a trade isn’t in order, maybe a change on the bench is, but that is another issue for another day. The problem is the team they have should be much better than their record. If the Penguins can find a way to score, they will be the scariest team in the league.

They are as talented as anyone on offense, and their defense is playing well above their means. If they find their offensive touch, the Penguins are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.