Why is Crosby struggling?

If you have been watching the Penguins this year then it is clear that Crosby is not playing as he should be. He is off and there is something different this year which has seen him only have 3 points through the first 8 games so far. By now you would expect that Crosby to have at least 10 points. A lot of people have speculated as to why he is struggled and there are a number of reasons, some more simple than others.

One of the most obvious things is that he seems to be passing it a lot more than usual and this is evidenced in his lower shot totals. A long with this he is also struggling to finish his chances that he does get. His career average is at a nice 14.3% but this season he is languishing at a much lower 4.3%. There have been mentions of him using a new stick recently which would explain why he is finding it harder to elevate the puck into the net. Twice against Montreal he was stopped by two great saves down low.

Over the summer the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel and he is the winger that this team has been wanting for a long time. Originally he was on the top line with Crosby and it was expected that they would light it up. Whilst they would have to learn each others game and get some chemistry it should by now have worked. However, it hasn't and Kessel has been moved to Malkin's line. Crosby's anchor, Chris Kunitz has also been dropped but to the third line.

Crosby now has Pascal Dupuis and Patric Hornqvist, two players whose game he knows really well and has worked well with in the past. Both are hard working players who are able to go to the dirty areas which takes away the responsibility for Crosby to do so and enables him to focus on the playmaking side of things.

Some have pointed out that the Penguins have played some of the top teams in the league this season with some of the best goaltenders. But that isn't really an excuse to score only 3 points in 8 games and for the Penguins offense to struggle like it has. This season the Penguins have the second fewest amount of goals with 13, only Anaheim are worst. As if that wasn't bad enough it is the Penguins lowest number of goals in franchise history through the first 8 games.

To be fair to Crosby, I don't think this is just a problem that he is having. A lot of players on the team are struggling offensively, it isn't exclusive to Crosby. The teams defensive system isn't conducive to the way this team should be playing. Instead of a pass and move game the team is more focused on a dump and chase game which just isn't working. It has severely affected the power play as well, a key proponent of Crosby's game. I've mentioned that before here.

I think that Crosby is in a slump right now and his body language shows that he is struggling. He isn't going to the net as much as he used to an he is a perimeter player right now. He needs to work hard with his team mates to get back in the grove and the next two games against Washington and Buffalo would be a good start. What more to get him riled up and firing than going against Ovechkin and his old coach? I hope he does get it going because seeing Crosby struggle is painful and not have Crosby as his best is sad.