Spreading Around the Scoring

As I scanned the box scores this week, it was nice to see some names that hadn’t made frequent appearances on the score sheet. Seriously, when Moore and Ekman start scoring goals, well, that can only be a good thing for the Pens, right?

Except—except—yes, the Penguins need scoring depth. They need contributions from their role players. They need contributions from their third and fourth lines, and sure, it would be great if the wingers on the top two lines would make their mark on the score sheet with far greater frequency. Yet dare I say—even with scoring depth—that more scoring depth isn’t going to help if the Pens’ stars don’t play like stars.

Yes, every star has games where they get shut down. It happened to Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, and it’s going to happen to Crosby and Malkin, too. Yet here’s the thing—right now—honestly—the Penguins do not have enough scoring depth to compensate for when an opposing defense figures out how to smother Crosby and Malkin just has an off day. (Yes, stars have off days, too, and in particular, rookies who are playing their first season in a foreign country might occasionally have a day when they look more like a rookie than a star.) When Crosby and Malkin don’t find their names on the scoresheet, I’m going to venture a wild guess (sarcasm should be duly noted) that the Penguins lose far more frequently than they win.

The Penguins need their stars to be stars. And yes, they absolutely need scoring depth to compensate for those times when opponents figure out how to prevent stars from performing as stars. Yet the Pens—and Crosby and Malkin—need to reach the point where, perhaps, a superior opponent limits their opportunities but can’t fully contain them. Even if it’s a harsh night, somehow, whether that’s on the power play or a productive shift—Crosby and Malkin have to find the openings and perform as stars when given an opening. Because, at least as the team is currently constructed, if Crosby and Malkin fail to produce, the Penguins—a very, very high majority of the time—fail to win.