Penguins forward Rickard Rakell still seeking 1st goal despite strong possession metrics
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Rickard Rakell knows there are advanced possession metrics that can paint a complimentary picture of his body of work in 2023-24.
And they certainly do. The skilled Pittsburgh Penguins winger is safely in the black as far as shot attempts go when he is on the ice.
But the primary figure he is focused on is zero.
As in zero goals.
Through seven games, Rakell, a former All-Star, has yet to score a goal despite a regular assignment on franchise center Evgeni Malkin’s line as well as ample time on the top power-play unit (until a recent demotion to the second unit).
“I mean, I’m a hockey player,” Rakell said. “I love to score goals.”
Rakell did that a lot last season, his first full campaign with the Penguins. Appearing in all 82 games, Rakell was third on the team in goals with 28 and had 60 points overall. He looked every bit worthy of the six-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5 million that he signed in July 2022.
This season, it has been a struggle. At least in terms of the base offensive figures. His lone point this season came in the form of a primary assist on a goal by Malkin during a 4-0 road win against the rival Washington Capitals on Oct. 13.
In terms of possession metrics, Rakell has some outstanding figures. During five-on-five scenarios, he has been on the ice for 108 shots for and 75 against, according to Natural Stat Trick. That equates to a possession percentage of 59.0%, the team’s best such figure among players who have appeared in all seven games.
In contrast, he had a possession percentage of 53.66 during his strong 2022-23 campaign.
“(Rakell) has played well,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I don’t think he’s got rewarded on the scoresheet as his overall game suggests. We drill down into more of the details when we watch the game film. In particular, (Malkin’s) line has been very good for us. They drive a lot of offense, and he’s a part of that. We’ve liked that line as a whole. (Rakell) will score goals because he’s getting a lot of looks. It hasn’t gone in the net for him.
“If he continues to get the types of quality looks that he’s getting, we believe he’s going to score goals.”
His teammates profess a similar faith.
“Something that I didn’t know about him is how good he is at protecting the puck and getting in on the forecheck and creating turnovers,” said linemate Reilly Smith, who joined the team via trade this past offseason. “He’s done an awesome job at that. I don’t think he’s gotten the points and (attention) that he should have gotten in the first five or six games. He’s done a great job. He’s created a lot of plays. He’s always at the front of the net either screening the goalie or picking up (opponents’) sticks so that (passing) seams are there.
“He does everything, and I think he does everything the right way.”
Rakell — the Penguins’ active “iron man” with a team-best 107 consecutive regular-season games played — also appears to have the correct approach for dealing with a scoring slump.
“The hockey gods look after you if you keep working hard and keep believing in yourself,” said defenseman Marcus Pettersson, one of Rakell’s closest teammates. “It’s going to eventually (work) for him. He’s got great character and a great mentality that he can work through this.
“He’s been around for enough time to know that it can only get worse if you get down on yourself for not scoring.”
Rakell’s base offensive figures are down. But he isn’t.
“It’s, obviously, a little bit frustrating,” Rakell said. “You want to make sure you help the team and contribute. I know I’ve had a lot of chances and created a lot of chances. So I could be happy about that. But it would be great if they went in.
“I’m going to just keep working on it, and I know it’s going to come eventually if I keep working hard.”
Notes: The Penguins quietly assigned forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in a pair of paper transactions on Friday for the sake of managing their salary cap. The pair are expected to return to the NHL roster by Saturday morning. … The Penguins canceled a practice Friday and staged off-ice workouts instead.