PITTSBURGH Penguins looking for first win of year

Pittsburgh is the only team in the league without a victory so far this season.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Not many would question the skill level of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A lineup featuring a Hall of Fame, soon-to-be 700-goal scorer (Mario Lemieux), a 400-goal scorer (Mark Recchi), two 300-goal scorers (Ziggy Palffy and John LeClair) and rookie phenom Sidney Crosby would not figure to have much trouble creating plays and putting the puck in the net.
And while the Penguins have been entertaining through the season's first six games, Pittsburgh remains the NHL's only club without a victory.
"When you go through a time like we have, you go to basics," Crosby said. "Get the puck at the net and play simple hockey, and try to get back [to winning] that way."
Coach Eddie Olczyk said: "I don't want to say we went back to basics, just that we were reinforcing the fundamentals."
Pittsburgh spent much of the four-day layoff between Saturday's 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay and tonight's game against New Jersey practicing defensive coverages and watching game film in an effort to identify breakdowns in their own end that have led to goals. The Penguins rank 29th in the league with a 4.17 goals against average.
"It was a good week of practice," defenseman Lyle Odelein said. "We worked on the things we need to work on, some of the little things that cost us goals."
Offensively, despite the breadth of talent, Pittsburgh is 21st in the league in goals per game (2.72).
Irony
Ironically, it might be partially a result of the high talent level. Forwards are making too many passes and looking for the perfect scoring opportunity rather than just shooting. The Penguins' 165 shots rank 19th in the NHL.
"We have players that are able to make those plays that only certain players can make," Olczyk said. "Whether it's putting the puck over a stick and through bare legs to somebody on the other side. ... Sometimes it's better just to put it to the net and go for a rebound."
Pointing out those types of opportunities was an integral part of this week's film sessions.
"You don't realize sometimes what putting the puck on net does," Crosby said. "Sometimes defensemen turn their backs and maybe look at the puck, or it gets the defensive team moving and maybe a little bit confused. If you get it to the net, a lot of things can happen. It's the simplest thing, but sometimes it does get overlooked."
The Penguins are learning the hard way that even in the new NHL, the run-and-gun style of play will not be effective.
And with a renewed focus on concentrating on the little things, the Penguins remain upbeat despite the 0-2-4 start. Recchi said the players believe the talent level on the team is too great for the wins not to begin to accumulate.
"If we want to do the right things," Recchi said. "I don't have any doubt at all."
"Absolutely," Olczyk said. "We know we will have a lot of wins."