Pittsburgh Penguins Need To Make Move For Secondary Scoring

The Pittsburgh Penguins came into this season with big expectations once again. Many thought their defense would be the Achilles’ heel, but the offense is what is holding this team back. They rank 28th in the league in goals scored with 2.2 per game. This terrible offense is what cost Mike Johnston his job as head coach.

Since firing Johnston, the Penguins are 2-4 with two shutouts against. The Penguins cannot get help from anyone who isn’t Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel or Evgeni Malkin. Those three players combined for 35 goals this season. The rest of the team has 43 goals. Nobody on the team outside those three superstars has more than six goals. Their secondary scoring has been atrocious.

Patric Hornqvist has twelve points after 35 games, after two straight 50-point seasons. Chris Kunitz continues his career decent with only four goals. Pascal Dupuis was forced to retire due to a medical condition. Dave Perron has trouble staying consistent in this lineup. Even Kris Letang, who’s been very good on the defensive side of the puck, only lit the lamp once.

Either the Penguins need to figure out what is wrong with the players they have on the roster, or they need to find players who can score on the second and third line. The New Jersey Devils who are still known as one of the worst offensive teams in the league, actually have five players with 15 or more points, and the Penguins only have four players boasting more than 15 points.

Something needs to change before this becomes a lost season. Luckily nobody is running away with the three playoff positions in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins could easily work their way into the playoffs with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders sputtering as of now. This season can be salvaged, but it won’t be if they continue to do what they are doing.