3 reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins are struggling to end October
The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2023-24 season with high hopes, yet they have had a rough start. Here's what is not working right now.
By Jim Lynch
The Pittsburgh Penguins believed they were going to be in the playoffs this season, but after a month of hockey, they sit in last place within the Metropolitan Division having lost to teams like Anaheim, Chicago and St. Louis to name a few.
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished the month of October with a record of 3-6-0. They have beat Colorado, Calgary and Washington, and while their 4-0 win against Colorado was impressive, they have not looked good as of late.
The Penguins might still have Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby playing great hockey to start the year, but this team is struggling for a few different reasons. Similar to last season, it all starts with the goaltending.
1. Goaltending struggles
General Manager Kyle Dubas entered the Penguins organization this summer, looked around and decided Tristan Jarry was the best option in net for this team. Fans have to wonder if he regrets that decision after October.
Jarry has gone 2-5-0 in the net, and he has put up a .893 save percentage good enough for a 2.84 goals against per game on average. Jarry has two shutouts on the season bolstering his stats, so it just shows how wildly unreliable and inconsistent his goaltending has been.