The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting closer to remembering what victory is, but they can't quite recapture it. The Penguins lost a tough battle after forcing the Ottawa Senators to overtime. Despite the fight, the Penguins extended their losing streak to four games. Returning home, the Penguins welcome the NHL's worst team in an effort to snap their losing skid. Here's what to watch when the Pens face off against the San Jose Sharks.
1. Jarry Carrying Penguins
Despite being the butt of criticism over the past few seasons, there's no denying that Tristan Jarry is having a solid season. Even with a porous defense and underwhelming offense in front of him, he's managed to post a 2.69 goals against average.
Just look at his last five starts to see how much he is doing. Jarry has made 35 or more saves in three of his previous four starts, hasn't given up more than four goals in a game, and has only one win to show for his efforts. Entering the first game of this latest home stand, the Penguins can count on Jarry to keep giving them a reliable backstop. Can the Penguins return the favor and help their goaltender earn a deserved win?
2. Zetterlund's Career Year
You'd be hard-pressed to find many successes in San Jose this season, but one of their forwards is enjoying a career year offensively. Fabian Zetterlund has jumped out as one of only a handful of productive Sharks' forwards this year. The 24-year-old has already established new career highs in every offensive category and is the team's leading goal scorer. As the organization turns over and looks for new leaders, Zetterlund is earning a more significant role. The Penguins must focus on limiting his opportunities with the puck to secure a win over San Jose.
3. Offensive Woes in Pittsburgh
For the entirety of Sidney Crosby's career, offense has been easy to come by. Suddenly, he and his teammates can't score no matter what they do. Crosby is dangerously close to falling off his point-per-game pace, as he's gone snakebitten over the last two weeks. The team, overall, has just two goals combined during this four-game losing streak.
The Penguins are obviously reeling from the loss of Jake Guentzel, but they need to find a way to score regardless. The league's worst team is the best chance they will have to break out of this slump. If they can't, the Pens might be in contention for the top overall draft pick.
Puck drop between the Penguins and Sharks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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