As a team through the first five games of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins stood out across the NHL as one of the most complete squads.
The Penguins were getting contributions from all over the lineup and winning games by big margins.
Despite the wins and production, there was one player that was having a tougher start to the season than he would have liked.
Brock McGinn struggled to help contribute the way his teammates were as the Penguins got off to a red hot start.
While the Penguins put together a 4-0-1 start, McGinn couldn’t find the score sheet, not scoring his first point until the fifth game of the year.
After his first goal of the year, McGinn would go another four more games without a point giving one point through nine games of the 2022-23 season.
It wasn’t pretty for the bottom six forward, but things have turned around for McGinn recently.
In his last five games, McGinn has posted five points, including game winning goals in back-to-back contests.
McGinn was credited with the game winning goal to snap the Penguins seven-game losing streak with a short handed tally against the Washington Capitals.
As the Penguins traveled to take on the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs, McGinn broke a 2-2 tie with a goal that squeezed through goalie Erik Kallgren.
To top off his five points in five games, McGinn piled up a pair of assists in the overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.
This late bloom of production from McGinn has helped turn the tides of an early season slump from the Penguins.
The rest of the Penguins bottom six now needs to follow in McGinn’s lead and find ways to contribute.
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