5 Takeaways from the Pittsburgh Penguins' Recent Struggles

For a team that has had as much regular-season success and postseason disappointment as the Pittsburgh Penguins have had over the past few seasons, success is assumed, and struggles, however brief, are always going to be cause for concern.

Although the Pens started the season strong with a 16-5-2 record during the first two months, the last 30 days have not been kind as injuries and individual struggles have resulted in a record of just 4-6-4.

Since the upcoming All-Star break seems more like a standing eight-count for a staggering team, let's take a look at five things we've learned about the Pens during their recent struggles.

Divisional Difficulties

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Despite dominating the Metropolitan Division last season and being just three points out of first place in the division this season, the Penguins have struggled against divisional rivals so far with a record of just 6-8-4.

By comparison, the division-leading New York Islanders are 15-2-0, the New York Rangers are 13-3-1, and the Washington Capitals are 10-2-4 against divisional foes.

Fortunately for the Pens, 11 of their next 15 games will be played outside the division, so they will have a chance to make up some of the ground they've lost.

However, at some point, they will have to find a way to take care of business in the division if they have any shot of clinching a top spot in the playoffs.

The Penguins Are Still a Top-Heavy Team

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Since the new year began, the Pens have scored 27 goals in nine games, and Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin have been involved in 21 of them.

With players like the usually reliable Brandon Sutter struggling, having scored just one goal since the ball dropped on New Year's Eve in Times Square, it's clear that the Pens' supporting cast has dropped the ball offensively.

Hopefully, the return of Patric Hornqvist and Blake Comeau from injuries, along with the continued maturation of Beau Bennett, will shore up the Pens' top-six forward rotation.

However, the Pens must get steady offensive contributions from players other than Crosby and Malkin in order to have a shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup this postseason.

The Kids Are All Right

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For all of the criticisms levied at former Penguins general manager Ray Shero, he excelled at scouting, drafting and developing young defensemen.

Having selected Simon Despres (2009), Scott Harrington (2011), Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta (2012) in the draft, along with acquiring Brian Dumoulin in the Jordan Staal trade, Shero was able to stock the Pens' blue line with talent for years to come.

With the loss of Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and Deryk Engelland in free agency last summer, observers wondered whether that depth was enough to offset the loss of half of the team's NHL defense corps, but the younger players have been more than up to the challenge.

Despres and Maatta have become regulars in the lineup, Pouliot has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, and Dumoulin and Harrington have been so solid that the Pens are expected to let Paul Martin leave via free agency this summer.

While the probable loss of Maatta for the season is a big setback, the strong play of the Pens' young defensemen has been a lone bright spot during the team's recent struggles.

Rivals Have Their Number

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In the seven games this season against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, the teams above and below them in the standings, the Penguins are a disastrous 1-4-3.

To make matters worse, they have also lost their last six meetings with cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers going back to last season and have been outscored by a margin of 22-12.

While the injuries they've sustained during the most recent stretch of games against their top rivals is partly to blame, the Pens, despite the best efforts of the front office and coaching staff, simply are unwilling or unable to play sound territorial hockey for 60 minutes.

While there is time to get back to playing a strong puck-possession system as they did early in the season, the Pens must become a team that outworks and outhits their opponents instead of simply trying to rely on skill alone.

The Wilting Flower

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Through the first three months of the season, Marc-Andre Fleury never played in more than five consecutive games and was on pace for career bests in save percentage, goals-against average and shutouts.

Since the start of 2015, however, his workload has gotten heavier, and the sixth straight game he recently started ended in an ugly loss to the New York Rangers and an early trip to the showers.

Over the course of his career, Fleury has been his best in the postseason when he's been limited to the low 60s in regular-season games played, but he is currently on pace to play 66 games.

Having shown a tendency to rely on reaction and reflexes rather than positioning and fundamentals when fatigued, Fleury often struggles when he gets worn down, so keeping him fresh down the stretch will be vital to the Pens' championship prospects.