Penguins’ Concerning Statistic Derailing Season

With an 18-17-8 record, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to battle for a favorable position in the Eastern Conference wildcard race.

Meanwhile, the Penguins’ start to 2025 was tough. On Thursday night, they picked up their first win of the new year against the Edmonton Oilers.

Despite their record and proximity of holding a wildcard spot, the Penguins continue to lead the NHL in goals against while once again almost blowing a multi-goal lead against the Oilers.

However, that’s not even the most concerning statistic that Pittsburgh should be worried about. Instead, on Saturday evening, the Penguins gave up their NHL-leading ninth goal on the opponent’s first shot.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what the score is; Pittsburgh netminders are getting beat on the first shot too often, causing their team to lose all its momentum and/or chase the game from the opening minute.

Here’s a breakdown:

Jan. 11 vs. Ottawa (19:04) TBD
Jan. 7 vs. Columbus (16:40) 4-3 Loss/SO
Dec. 17 vs. Los Angeles (19:27) 3-2 Win/OT
Dec. 12 vs. Montreal (17:48) 9-2 Win
Nov. 22 vs. Winnipeg (18:38) 4-1 Loss
Nov. 15 vs. Columbus (17:40) 6-2 Loss
Nov. 11 vs. Dallas (17:27) 7-1 Loss
Nov. 7 vs. Carolina (19:08) 5-1 Loss
Oct. 9 vs. New York (17:36) 6-0 Loss

Pittsburgh is just 2-6-0 in the eight games that it has surrendered the first goal on the first shot, which means it has left at most 12 points on the table, which would significantly impact its point total and place in the standings.