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The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again in 2024. Pittsburgh put in a late push for a spot in the postseason. However, the team could not make it into the dance even with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin maintaining a high level of play. This season, it appears as if any hope for improvement is all but gone.
The Penguins enter play on Tuesday with a 13-14-5 record, good for 31 points. This has brought them into a three-way tie for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, to be fair. However, this means they aren't exactly secure in their spot in the standings. They are also dangerously close to the last-placed Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Penguins have found some level of success, to be fair. But it does not look like this is a team that will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. Pittsburgh has more work to do before it returns to the postseason. With this in mind, here are two of the biggest reasons for concern regarding the Penguins moving forward.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin aren't scoring goals
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin need no introduction. They are two of the best players of their generation. And they will both have a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame when their careers are over. However, it is hard to ignore that the two veteran superstars are not playing to their usual standards.
This is not to say they've played poorly this season. Far from it, in fact. Crosby leads the team with 30 points in 32 games. Meanwhile, Malkin is right behind him with 25 points in 32 games. The issue at hand is that both players have struggled to score goals for Pittsburgh. And that has put the team at a real disadvantage.
Neither player has exactly been a sniper in their careers, to be fair. But Crosby has scored 30+ goals in four of the last six seasons, including each of the last three. This year, though, he has eight goals. This puts him on pace for 21 goals this year. It'd be the lowest single-season goal tally of his career, excluding seasons that were impacted by COVID-19.
Malkin, meanwhile, has scored 20 or more goals in five of the last six seasons. He has scored 27 goals in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. However, he has six goals through 32 games. This pace puts him on track for 15 goals across 82 games. The last time Malkin ended with 15 goals was the 2010-11 season.
The Penguins have other goal-scorers, to be fair. For instance, Rickard Rakell has 13 goals on his own compared to Crosby and Malkin's 14 combined. In any event, Pittsburgh needs someone to step up if Crosby and Malkin cannot find their scoring touch in 2024-25.
Penguins' goaltending is not very good
The Penguins entered the 2024-25 season with a somewhat clear goaltending tandem. Alex Nedeljkovic returned with a new contract after impressing last season. He formed a tandem with Tristan Jarry, who signed a massive contract in 2023. Young netminder Joel Blomqvist also factored into the equation.
In 2024-25, the goaltending situation has been less than ideal, to say the least. The Penguins have used all three goalies at some point during the year. And all of them have struggled at least to some extent for the Penguins this year.
Nedeljkovic has played 13 games and recorded an .882 save percentage. More advanced metrics say he is the worst-performing goalie of the trio, though. Nedeljkovic has saved -6.65 goals above average and -9.05 goals above expected, according to Evolving Hockey.
Jarry is the most expensive goalie of the bunch. But he certainly has not lived up to his salary. Jarry has a save percentage of .885 in 13 games, according to ESPN. He has saved -5.52 goals above average and -5.22 goals above expected this year.
Blomqvist is the best-performing goalie here, but he hasn't exactly been a world-beater. He has a .904 save percentage in eight games with 1.44 GSAA and 0.92 GSAx. Moreover, he has not played in the NHL since November 11.
Blomqvist gives the Penguins some hope for the future. However, the goaltending situation right now is bleak. Unless one of the two veterans improves, Pittsburgh is going to struggle to maintain a playoff pace.
