Monday Daily Puck: What's wrong with the Penguins?

Monday Daily Puck: What's wrong with the Penguins?

This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.


Around The Rink

What's wrong in Pittsburgh? That's a multi-faceted question, starting from ownership down, but for fantasy purposes let's look at the current on-ice product.

The Penguins have forgotten how to score. In their last 82 regular season games, the team is averaging 2.18 goals per game. How can an organization with its weapons put out such putrid production?

When asked what the problem encompasses, Evgeni Malkin called out his teammates following Saturday's 4-0 loss in Newark.

"Everything," he said. "We don't play right. We don't work hard. It's tough right now. We're mad at each other. We need to just stop, look in the mirror and start working."

Malkin, who has taken seven offensive-zone penalties in 17 games, wasn't finished.

"It's not only goals. It's bad penalties. It's turnovers. It's everything. Not playing right in the system. Not just the goals. Always, if you score, it's a little better. You can't score if you don't play right. Bad mistakes."

Sidney Crosby has scored two goals and nine points in 17 contests. He's already been held pointless 12 times.

Blueliner Kris Letang took four minor penalties Saturday and recently complained about his comfort level with partner Ian Cole. Coach Mike Johnston paired Letang with Olli Maatta for the next game but the results remained the same.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is having the best year of his career. But at some point — most likely in February or March — he'll cool off, if history is any indicator.

#JohnstonWatch is already trending in Pittsburgh. It's been said more than once that you can't fire the whole team, you fire the coach.

At this point, it'd be shocking to see Johnston make it through the season as the Pens coach.

Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid

Arizona Coyotes (Mike Smith) at New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks (Frederik Andersen) at Carolina Hurricanes (Eddie Lack), 7:00 PM
Vancouver Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Montreal Canadiens (Mike Condon), 7:30 PM
Detroit Red Wings (Petr Mrazek) at Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson), 7:30 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:30 PM
Winnipeg Jets (Ondrej Pavelec) at St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen), 8:00 PM

Injury News For Teams Playing Monday

Arizona Coyotes

Nicklas Grossmann, D - Grossman (lower body) traveled to Columbus with the Coyotes for Saturday's game against the Blue Jackets, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (11/13/2015)
Steve Downie, RW - Downie (upper body) didn't make the trip to Columbus for Saturday's game against the Blue Jackets, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (11/13/2015)
Chris Pronger, D - Pronger was dealt to the Coyotes over the weekend along with defenseman Niklas Grossmann in exchange for forward Sam Gagner, a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2016 or a third-round pick in 2017, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (6/29/2015)
Joe Vitale, C - Vitale will be sidelined for the next 4-to-6 weeks with a fractured orbital bone, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports. (10/21/2015)
Dylan Reese, D - The Coyotes said that Reese (Achilles) suffered a severed Achilles tendon during his off-season training and is out indefinitely. (9/15/2015)

New York Islanders

Eric Boulton, LW - Boulton (lower body) will be out for Tuesday night's contest against the Sharks, Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com reports. (11/10/2015)
Thomas Hickey, D - Hickey (lower body) will miss at least a month, Arthur Staple of Newsday reports. (10/26/2015)
Kirill Petrov, RW - Petrov will be out of action for at least the next month with a broken foot, reports Newsday's Arthur Staple. (11/5/2015)

Anaheim Ducks

Nate Thompson, C - Thompson (shoulder) is a week or two away from taking contact, Curtis Zupke of NHL.com reports. (11/9/2015)
Simon Despres, D - Ducks general manager Bob Murray told reporters Saturday that Despres is dealing with a concussion, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (11/14/2015)
Jiri Sekac, RW - Sekac (ankle) is no longer requiring crutches to walk, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. (11/14/2015)
Kenton Helgesen, LW - Helgesen (foot) was placed on injured reserve Monday, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (10/5/2015)

Carolina Hurricanes

Ryan Murphy, D - Coach Bill Peters indicated Sunday that Murphy is dealing with a concussion, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports. (11/15/2015)
James Wisniewski, D - Wisniewski is expected to be sidelined six months after undergoing surgery on his left knee Friday to repair the torn ACL he suffered in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Predators, NHL.com's Michael Smith reports. (10/9/2015)

Vancouver Canucks

Alex Burrows, RW - Burrows has returned to Vancouver for personal reasons. "It's a good thing," coach Willie Desjardins indicated Sunday. (11/15/2015)
Brandon Prust, LW - Prust (ankle) thinks he is about a week away from returning. (11/15/2015)
Brandon Sutter, C - Sutter (lower body) did not practice Sunday, but coach Jeff Blashill indicated that he could return Monday, Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun reports. (11/15/2015)
Luca Sbisa, D - Sbisa (ankle) said he felt better while skating Sunday. (11/15/2015)

Montreal Canadiens

Zack Kassian, RW - Kassian was suspended without pay by the Canadiens on Monday, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports. (10/5/2015)
Michael Bournival, C - Bournival (concussion) skated following Monday's practice session and took shots on goalie Mike Condon, the Montreal Gazette reports. (10/20/2015)
Alexei Emelin, D - Emelin will miss Saturday's game against the Avalanche due to a lower-body injury. (11/14/2015)
Carey Price, G - Price (lower body) skated Saturday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet.ca reports. (11/14/2015)

Detroit Red Wings

Kyle Quincey, D - Quincey will be out 9-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair bone chips in his right ankle Saturday, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. (11/12/2015)
Johan Franzen, RW - Franzen (concussion) was placed on IR on Thursday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. (10/15/2015)
Brendan Smith, D - Smith has been sidelined over the past week with an illness, and he will also miss Monday's contest because of it, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. (11/15/2015)
Landon Ferraro, RW - Ferraro (knee) skated with the team for the first time Sunday since suffering the injury, and indicated that he's well ahead of schedule and hopes to return next week. (11/15/2015)
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW - Pulkkinen revealed Sunday that he missed Saturday's contest with a sore neck, but he skated Sunday and coach Jeff Blashill indicated he will decide on the lineup Monday, Anshar Khan of MLive.com reports. (11/15/2015)
Brad Richards, C - Richards (back) logged a full practice for the first time since Oct. 21 on Thursday, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. (11/12/2015)

Ottawa Senators

Clarke MacArthur, LW - General manager Bryan Murray confirmed Tuesday that MacArthur has been dealing with a concussion, Ian Mendes of TSN 1200 reports. (10/20/2015)
Andrew Hammond, G - Hammond suffered an undisclosed injury in practice Sunday, Dean Brown of TSN 1200 reports. (11/15/2015)
Jared Cowen, D - Cowen (lower body) won't play Saturday against the Rangers, Gord Wilson of TSN 1200 reports. (11/14/2015)
Chris Phillips, D - Phillips (back) said last week that he's "turned a corner" in the recovery process, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun reports. (9/22/2015)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Mattias Ohlund, D - Ohlund (knee) was placed on long-term injured reserve Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Times reports. (10/2/2013)
Ondrej Palat, LW - Palat will miss three-to-five weeks with a lower-body injury. He was spotted wearing a brace on his left ankle. (11/9/2015)
Mitchell Stephens, C - Stephens is out indefinitely with a broken foot, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports. (10/17/2015)

Florida Panthers

Marc Savard, C - The Panthers acquired Savard's (concussion) contract Wednesday along with forward Reilly Smith in a deal that sent Jimmy Hayes to the Bruins, TSN.ca reports. (7/1/2015)
Dmitry Kulikov, D - Kulikov will miss at least a week due to the lower-body injury suffered in Saturday's game against the Lightning, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. (11/15/2015)

Winnipeg Jets

Grant Clitsome, D - Clitsome did not pass his pre-training camp physical and, as a result, will not play for the Jets this season, Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press reports. (9/19/2015)

St. Louis Blues

Jaden Schwartz, LW - Schwartz will miss at least 12 weeks after receiving surgery on a fractured left ankle, Andrew Allsman of KMOV reports. (10/24/2015)
Steve Ott, C - Ott (upper body) is still without a timetable for his return from injury. (11/13/2015)
Paul Stastny, C - Stastny (foot) was spotted at the Blues' practice facility Friday. He has shed his boot and is walking without restrictions, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. (11/13/2015)
Patrik Berglund, C - Berglund (shoulder) has been placed on long-term injured reserve. (10/7/2015)

Hot

Corey Perry, RW, ANA — The winger started the season with one assist in eight games. Since then, Perry has scored five goals and 10 points in his last nine tilts. The 30-year-old has turned his game around and fantasy owners can breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Duncan Keith, D, CHI — Keith returned Saturday after missing 10 games with a torn meniscus in his right knee. He picked up right where he left off, tallying an assist on a 60-foot shot while registering three shots. Perhaps most impressively, Keith played a season-high 27 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cold

Nick Foligno, F, CLB — It's still early, but 2014-15 is looking more and more like an outlier season for the versatile forward. He's scored two assists in his last nine games and is a minus-7 in his last four. Foligno totaled a career-high 73 points in 79 games last year but has just seven in his first 18 contests. He had 20 points in his first 18 tilts last season.

Mark Streit, D, PHI — Streit will miss the next six weeks with a pubic plate detachment. If that's not cold, I'm not sure what is. Despite a slow start in Philly, Streit was contributing more than his fair share with three goals and nine points. Fantasy owners with limited IR spots will need to determine whether to keep Streit or cut bait. Generally speaking, he's probably worth keeping but leagues vary so much that one size doesn't fit all. The Flyers recalled top defensive prospect Shayne Gostisbehere, who will see power-play time in Streit's absence, according to GM Ron Hextall.

Recommended Pickup

Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN — The blueliner with perennial fantasy potential apparently is putting it to good use this year. Spurgeon has already scored 11 points in 16 games. He's currently riding a five-game point streak which includes one goal and five helpers. Spurgeon has teased fantasy owners before, but perhaps this time his production continues throughout the season.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Toperzer
John is a former RotoWire contributor. He had written for Rotowire.com since 2003 and served as the beat writer for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates. He's worked for the Pirates for 17 years, written for the Penguins' Web site as the first game-day editor, and rooted for the Steelers dating back to the Immaculate Reception.
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