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It's been a scoreless start for one of the game's biggest stars, who's still trying to find a groove while adjusting to a new big-name teammate. So, should we be worried about Sidney Crosby?  @ESPN_Burnside: So we're going to ponder the question that's been asked periodically during the career of Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar captain: "What's wrong with Sid?" Fair enough after he recorded zero points in the team's first five games. Last season, Crosby didn't go more than three straight games without a point on his way to finishing second for the scoring title. The Penguins are a team in a state of flux, though. Head coach Mike Johnston, in his second year as NHL bench boss, is trying to integrate offseason acquisition Phil Kessel into the lineup, playing mostly with Crosby. Fair to say Crosby is looking to feed his new linemate and help Kessel get into a groove early, perhaps to the detriment of his own stats and the team's scoring ability. Crosby had no shots in his first two games but eight in his last three games, two of which ended up being Penguins wins. This isn't the fire-wagon start we'd expected from Crosby and Kessel, who has a goal and an assist thus far. Maybe it's going to take a shakeup of the lines -- longtime Pens left winger Chris Kunitz has zero points thus far as well -- but if anyone thinks the first five games suggest some sort of decline in Crosby's skill set, well, we'll reserve judgment beyond the first two weeks of a season.
 @Real_ESPNLeBrun: Remember last year when people were questioning New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady early in the NFL season? Remember how that turned out? I feel like that's the kind of karma we're toying with here by even pretending to think to something wrong with Crosby. I will say, though, that Craig Simpson of "Hockey Night in Canada" made an excellent point Saturday night in saying that it didn't seem like No. 87 was darting through lanes and creases with the speed we're used to seeing. I agree with you guys that a lot of this has to do with Crosby trying to find chemistry with Kessel. Still, I think we're all going to have a good chuckle in April when Crosby wins another scoring title and we remember we actually had this chat.
 @ESPNChiPowers: Speaking from a strictly statistical standpoint, Crosby's early issue has been puck possession. He and his line are chasing the puck more than we're accustomed to seeing. He has a minus-7 Corsi through five games, with the Penguins being outshot 48-41 when he's been on the ice in 5-on-5 play. He had a plus-263 Corsi last season. Without that possession this season, his offense has followed downhill. His shots have been lacking. He didn't have a shot on net the first two games and has a total of eight on the season. He's also only had five individual scoring chances, according to waronice.com, and he has normally averaged two-plus individual scoring chances per game in the past. It also hasn't helped Crosby that the Penguins are one of two teams without a power-play goal on the season. He produced 31 points off the power play a season ago.
 @ESPNJoeMac: Craig, you had asked me during our Eastern Conference season preview video whether the addition of Kessel would help the Penguins, and at the time I hedged my bets because I wasn't sold on Kessel making a positive impact in Pittsburgh. I'm here to say I haven't changed my mind. I also think his presence has had a negative effect on Crosby. When he finally breaks out the points will start coming in bunches, but Johnston should consider splitting up Kessel and Crosby. I'm with you, Scott B., in feeling that Crosby is trying to do too much to help his new teammate succeed and it's changed his mindset. Maybe a lineup tweak will finally get Crosby going.
 @CraigCustance: Count me among those who want to see more than five games before drawing any conclusions this season about Crosby. The advanced stats Scott P. mentions definitely raise red flags, because you could always count on Crosby to drive possession regardless of how much production he was generating. The crazy thing is that Johnston is starting him in the offensive zone on 69.8 percent of his even-strength shifts. That's well above Crosby's career average of 54.3 percent. So the coach is clearly trying to give his star a shot to generate some offense. For now, I'm willing to chalk this up to Crosby and Kessel trying to figure out how to play with one another, and perhaps it's an early sign that Kessel's skill set is better suited for playing with Evgeni Malkin. And in the back of my mind, I'm also well aware that Crosby turned 28 in August. He's going to be a great player for a long time, but the analytics suggests forwards peak around 23 or 24 -- two of the most productive years of Crosby's career, when he averaged 1.61 and 1.68 points per game. As he approaches 30, we may just have to come to terms with the idea that Crosby is trending closer to a point-per-game player as he gets older, and in today's NHL there's nothing wrong with that.
 AROUND THE LEAGUE • The Anaheim Ducks finally got their first win of the season, a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild in which Ducks goalie Anton Khudobin made 34 saves after being pulled form his previous start. • Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie has been suspended for three games for charging and interference in Friday's win over the Ducks. • The Penguins did get a 2-1 win against Kessel's old team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, over the weekend, one he called "extra special."
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