Sidney Crosby has not been producing points like he is used to and people have begun to notice. He still has 13 points in 19 games, but he has been held without a goal in 11 straight games. This is the second-longest streak he has had without a goal. The team is feeling it as they have struggled to score. The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost six of their past eight games but Sidney Crosby’s slump is nothing to worry about.
Crosby’s Slump: Everybody Has One
It is early in the season and fans should not worry. His longest goal drought was 12 games in 2011-2012; fans will remember that was during the season he missed a lot of time due to concussions. It is also the eleventh time in his career he has gone at least seven or more games without a goal.
To add: This is the 11th time in his career he's gone at least 7+ games without a goal. Still not his longest goal drought yet. It's hard to score goals. There's a reason my pinned Tweet is what it is. https://t.co/iHqvDOB8Q3
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) November 13, 2017
This slump is nothing like the one that he endured during the start of the 2015-2016 season. Crosby bounced back when Mike Sullivan took over and finished top five in scoring that season. He is unlikely to repeat that feat, but a rebound is inevitable.
Pointless Streak
Crosby has been pointless in four of his past five games. His scoring troubles are a major contributor to the Penguins on-ice struggles at 5v5. According to Corsica.hockey, Pittsburgh’s GF/60 is at an abysmal 1.74; last in the league. That is down from last year’s 2.82.
Saturday night’s game against the Nashville Predators was the first time they scored four goals since October 20th; a ten-game span. Last season, Pittsburgh scored more than four goals in 39 games. This year: seven times, winning just four. Crosby’s success is key to returning to that level of offense.
On the bright side, Crosby did have a nice shootout goal against Pekka Rinne in the loss to the Predators.
Ending The Drought
Crosby has come close to scoring a number of times, including the Nashville game where he hit the crossbar. The night before he tipped a shot just wide of the net during a power play. Head coach Mike Sullivan has tried to juggle his lines to kick-start the offense, but without success.
Juggling Lines
The best linemates for Crosby to have so that he can start producing more are Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary. Sheary has not been on the top line due to his own struggles, but the duo achieved success last year. The reunion could be just what both players need to find their scoring touch.
Crosby is in the midst of one of his worst scoring droughts of his career but fans should not worry. Once he starts to produce, the team will start to win again.
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