The one problem that won't go away for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been just terrible in shootout attempts over the last three seasons, and that trend is once again continuing this season.
It's the Penguins' biggest problem this season: they've been awful in shootouts.
Pittsburgh is 0-3 in shootouts so far this season, and over the previous three seasons as well, they have been one of the worst teams in the NHL when games go to the tiebreaker.
Those missed opportunities add up, and for a team fighting to stay in the playoff picture, leaving points on the table is costly.
The recent result that led to this issue being raised
The latest defeat came Saturday against the Devils, with goalie Arturs Silovs falling apart in the shootout after an excellent showing during regulation.
He has allowed seven goals on eight shootout attempts this year, looking shaky and out of sync at times. Shooters aren't much different, with at least a couple of chances converted so far.
Why the alarm bells are starting to sound
This isn't a new problem, either. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Pittsburgh is just 4-13 in shootouts, a miserable .235 win percentage that ranks 29th in the league, ahead of only the Islanders, Oilers, and Sharks.
Over that span, Penguins shooters have converted 30% of their attempts, ranking 20th in the NHL.
The stars have done their part. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell have combined to go 13-for-35, a 37.5% rate that would rank among the league's top 10 if it held across the roster.
But the rest of the group has gone just 8-for-34, with Bryan Rust (2-for-10), Kris Letang (1-for-6), and former Penguin Jake Guentzel (1-for-4) struggling badly.
Once upon a time, Pittsburgh was deadly in shootouts, but that edge has faded. The Athletic's Josh Yohe noted the team finally practiced shootouts today in Sweden, something that's been rare under former coach Mike Sullivan.
Maybe this strategy that Dan Muse is starting to implement will help; maybe it doesn't, but when playoff spots are decided by razor-thin margins, a single shootout win could make all the difference.
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