Pittsburgh Penguins News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Slow Start Should Force Changes With Penguins

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Penguins
By Nick Horwat | Last updated 10/22/23

Heading into the 2023-24 season, it was determined that the Pittsburgh Penguins needed to get off to a raging hot start.

If the Penguins can start off the season the right way, they would be able to play from ahead rather than try and climb a steep mountain near the end of the yet.

After five games, it’s safe to say no one is happy with how the season has started; a 2-3-0 record and already too many poor performances around the lineup.

Head coach Mike Sullivan was furious following the loss to the St. Louis Blues and while he didn’t directly say changes need to be made, it might already be time for an update.

The Penguins already started making small changes with Ryan Shea making his NHL debut and Radim Zohorna being recalled, but there should be more right around the corner.

It’s early, but clear issues are popping up already and they need to be cleaned up before things continue to drag downhill.

Coach Sullivan: "We didn't play hard enough. We didn't play smart enough. We got what we deserved... We gave them way too many chances off the rush because we did play with the purpose that we need to play with in the offensive zone, whether it be with the puck or without it." pic.twitter.com/6wVMnlri7w
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 22, 2023

“We didn’t play hard enough, we didn’t play smart enough,” Sullivan said. “We got what we deserved.”

New president and general manager Kyle Dubas is known for making improvements on the fly and he hinted at changes to come when the Penguins played the Detroit Red Wings.

Considering how the game against the Red Wings ended and the entirety of the contest against the Blues, Dubas is surely looking to shake things up.

When Dubas eluded to changes, he was focusing on the bottom six forward group; Zohorna was brought up and had an immediate impact on the third line, but the fourth line still needs to wake up.

Dubas built up the Penguins depth with solid two-way players, now is the time to see what those players can do rather than sit around and wait for the current lineup to create a spark.

The competition isn’t getting any easier for the Penguins, either; each of their first five games were against teams that missed the postseason in 2022-23.

Their next two are against Stanley Cup favorites in the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars; following that is a match against a playoff hopeful team in the Ottawa Senators.

Changes need to be made, and made quickly before things fly completely off the rails like they did last season.

Ideally, the Penguins find some statement wins over this next week, but at bare minimum they should try and avoid a lengthy losing streak like the multiple that piled up last season.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Penguins and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: