Fansided

5 NHL teams that could use a restart to their season

By Mary Clarke

NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 10: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his second period goal during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 10, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 10: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his second period goal during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 10, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 08: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins tends goal in the first period during the game against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 08: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins tends goal in the first period during the game against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

3. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0)

On the whole, the Penguins have started their 2019-20 season in a very middling way. As it stands on Friday, the Penguins sit in the middle of the Metropolitan Division with four points in four games. Besting John Gibson and the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 was a nice bounce back after being trounced by the Winnipeg Jets earlier in the week, but the season still hasn’t gone Pittsburgh’s way.

The big issue with the Penguins so far this season has been the injuries and overall lack of team depth to cover those holes. Four of the Penguins’ heavy hitters have made it to the injured reserve list — Evgeni Malkin, Nick Bjugstad, Alex Galchenyuk, and Bryan Rust — and while Sidney Crosby has been able to put the team somewhat on his shoulders to start the season, it’s not a desirable situation to be in.

With more than the usual amount of injuries to start a season, and with Malkin especially being out for at least a month, the Penguins find themselves in a very unfavorable position early on into the year. A run of a few wins could change their perspective, but it’s going to be a very difficult uphill climb with how deadly the Metropolitan Division has looked so far.

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