The responsible, reasonable thing is not to make a big deal out of two games. Not when the Pittsburgh Penguins have 80 more.
What about the fun thing, though?
After two games, the Pittsburgh Penguins have zero standings points, two losses and a single goal (by Phil Kessel).
When you’re not getting production from an entire team, everyone deserves some blame. Sports talk doesn’t always work that way, though, which is why the Hockey Internet is gaping in awe at Sidney Crosby’s meek start.
Goals don’t go around very often in the extremely tight-checking NHL, so many times one can point out that a cold player is getting his chances. Crosby’s been unusually quiet even in that regard, with zero shots in those first two games.
Just notice how rare that is for Crosby, even taking into account that he may still lean a bit toward passing.
Crosby has played 2 straight GP without a shot. Last time that happened was Dec. 14 + 15, 2010 at Flyers and vs. Rangers.
— Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) October 11, 2015
Is he just missing the net, though? Well ...
Through 105 minutes of NHL hockey this season, Sidney Crosby has one shot attempt. It was blocked. This is nuts.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 11, 2015
Crosby is rarely an interesting quote, so it’s not surprising that his take might as well have been taken from @BoringMonahan:
Crosby: "It took way too long to generate those chances. I have to do a better job of getting there and getting pucks to the net."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 11, 2015
... But at least he’s not in denial.
Let’s not forget that the Penguins boast plenty of other talented players, so to some extent, it might come down to finding the right mix. Evgeni Malkin saw a different linemate in David Perron as the Sergei Plotnikov experiment was placed on hold, for instance.
It’s early, and both the team and Crosby can make adjustments. There’s at least one that seems pretty obvious:
Malkin just said he would prefer to be on PP with Sid. Also seems to prefer Perron on his line.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) October 11, 2015
The Penguins must stew on these problems for some time, as they won’t play again until they begin a five-game homestand by hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Maybe Crosby just needs some home-cooking?