It hasn't all been terrible for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins during their first stretch of games of the season. That being said, the Penguins need more from Crosby if they want to get back on track. Thus far, it's been a revolving door of linemates for Sid and he's struggled to find a connection. Hopefully with some familiar faces on his line, it'll turn things around for the star.
At some point Father Time beats all, and although Crosby has been putting up a great fight, he will eventually fall to that undefeated foe. Hopefully for Pittsburgh's sake, it won't be this season or anytime soon. They need the franchise icon to bounce back, and he's done exactly that when early campaign struggles have hit his game in the past.
It's not time to panic, but we are almost to that point.
Through four games of the season, Sidney Crosby has only racked up two assists to the tally sheet. While that might not be a disappointing result for some NHL players, it is certainly underwhelming for Crosby's standards. History shows that the star center for Pittsburgh will shake off the rust and turn things around, but this troubling trend to begin the season might be too much to overcome.
Pittsburgh Penguins icon Sidney Crosby's early season struggles should raise some eyebrows
When you look at his numbers bleeding from last year into this season, and these concerns only heighten. During his past 28 games, Crosby has only scored three goals, which is an embarrassing streak for the captain of the Penguins. He is a storied NHL player, but that trend is troublesome. He is much better than a player sinking in a meager three goals during that span of time.
If Pittsburgh wants to have a shot at making the playoffs, they'll need much higher production than what Crosby has been able to shell out thus far. With Bryan Rust coming back onto his line, that should hopefully jump start his production. It seemed like neither Nick Robertson nor Hendrix Lapierre were wingers Sid was comfortable with, which potentially led to this ongoing slide.
This is one heck of a slump for Crosby, especially when you drag it into the end of last season.
That carry over is a problem, and could point to Father Time finally catching up to him. If that is the reality hitting the Penguins, then this team is in serious trouble. They want to compete for a playoff spot, but if they don't have Sidney Crosby at an elite level anymore, then those chances are falling off to the wayside in a hurry.
Maybe Sid being ice cold right now is a result of his age, jumbling linemates, and just getting his feet under him. The Penguins recent slide after two solid wins to begin the season could be fixed in a hurry if Crosby found his game going forward. Hopefully by having some familiar faces around him on each shift will solve his troubles. If not, then this will be a monumental setback for the franchise.
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