Penguins Star Back on Track After Poor Start

The Pittsburgh Penguins are finally getting the most out of their captain.

Oct 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The first few weeks of this season didn't go as planned for the Pittsburgh Penguins and captain Sidney Crosby. Last week, they returned home from a winless road trip to Western Canada in dead last in the Eastern Conference, and Crosby had one goal to his name.

In an effort to jumpstart their top star, Mike Sullivan did something he has done sparingly in his ten seasons with the Penguins: pair Crosby with Evgeni Malkin. Crosby found the scoresheet at will over the team's three-game homestand, tallying seven points (4G-3A) in three games, including two game-winning goals. His breakout led to being named Third Star of the Week in the NHL.

That pairing, matched with Rickard Rakell on the right side, has outshot opponents 35-20 and outscored opponents 4-0 at 5v5. Oddly enough, it hasn't resulted in a single point for Malkin, who has been held off the scoresheet in seven of his last eight games. However, with Crosby and Rakell filling the back of the net, it's only a matter of time before the puck finds Malkin's stick.

The same can't be said for the rest of the Penguins forwards. Sullivan has shuffled lines multiple times trying to find a combination that works, but the bottom three lines have yet to score at even strength and have allowed five goals.

Bryan Rust's eventual return could boost the scoring potential of one of those lines, but the Penguins need a few more players to step up if they plan on keeping Malkin and Crosby together at the top of the lineup.

They are 2-1 since beginning this experiment, defeating two teams with losing records, the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens. With two of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference on the schedule this week, we'll see if this lineup can compete with top competition.

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