Secondary Scoring a Primary Concern for Ailing Pittsburgh Penguins

You would be hard pressed to find any team in the NHL with a better one-two punch than the Pittsburgh Penguins. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are two of the most dynamic and exciting players in the league, currently sitting first and second atop the league scoring ranks.

While their team falls backward into the playoff bubble.

As great as any individual player, or players in this case, hockey remains a pure team sport. This is by no means a knock on Sid or Geno's leadership, but rather a call out for help. Luckily, help is on the way. The only question is, will it arrive in time?

In looking at the Penguins' recent lineup against New Jersey on Wednesday, one can't help but notice some of the names on the depth chart. Chris Minard, Tim Wallace, Jeff Taffe, Ben Lovejoy, and John Curry. These players may have been putting up phenomenal numbers for Wilkes-Barre Scranton of the AHL, but that rarely translates into immediate NHL success.  

Seeing these players in Pittsburgh uniforms in a few years will be a pleasing sight, as they are clearly talented and with time will become solid contributors. The problem right now is they are not named Whitney, Gonchar, Kennedy, Boucher, or Fleury.

Starting with the obvious trend that coincided with the losing skid, the Penguin's power play production is nonexistent. They rank an average 15th in the league at 18.3 percent and an abysmal 12.9 percent on the road, good for 27th in the NHL. 

The good news, Boucher has already returned to the lineup and Whitney is slated to be back into game action by the end of the week and may even dress on Saturday when the Leafs come to town.

Up front, losing a third line wing to injury may seem like nothing, except when that winger is Tyler Kennedy. Kennedy is the engine of the Pens shutdown line with Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke. His constant energy invigorate his teammates and elevate the intensity of the entire team.

Finally, Marc Andre Fleury's return to the crease appears to have arrived. His mysterious lower-body injury, most likely a groin injury, seems to have healed. He has not seen playing time in the last 13 games but should get the start Thursday in Atlanta.  He was putting up All-Star caliber numbers prior to his injury and there is no indication that anything else should be expected. 

Remember, Fleury was injured right up to the playoffs last year before posting a record of 14-6 with a 1.97 GAA and .933 save percentage.

The Penguins have a light, two-game week following a difficult stretch with three games in four days. It will be a perfect time for some reinforcements to find their way back into the lineup, a lineup where the top two players in the league eagerly await their help climbing back up the Eastern Conference standings.