Penguins forward Reilly Smith has no excuses for his scoring slump

Reilly Smith had a pretty good excuse to miss the Pittsburgh Penguins practice Nov. 13 in Cranberry.

He was at the White House.

A member of the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup-winning squad last season, Smith — who scored the championship-clinching goal — joined his former teammates in a traditional celebration with President Joe Biden last month.

Smith doesn’t have any kind of excuse, however, as to why he has failed to score a goal in 14 consecutive games with his new employer.

Nor does he offer any.

Smith was bluntly honest when asked to audit his play and lack of offense after practice Sunday.

“I think the easiest way to put it is I’m not in my groove,” Smith said. “I’m forcing plays that aren’t there. Not skating with the puck when I should be. Not being consistent with my reads is probably the way to put it.”

Smith went further and explained things in perhaps an easier way.

“My whole game has to get better right now.”

Over that 14-game stretch, Smith, typically affixed to the left wing of center Evgeni Malkin’s line, has been limited to two assists and 24 shots.

Beyond the base offensive figures, Smith has been on the ice for 177 shot attempts for and 201 shot attempts against during five-on-five situations over those 13 games, according to Natural Stat Trick. That equates to a shot-attempt percentage of 46.8%.

In contrast, Smith produced more than a point per game in his first 10 contests this season, posting 11 points (six goals, five assists). During five-on-five scenarios, he was present for 151 shot attempts for and 106 shot attempts against (58.7%).

A steady 20-goal threat throughout his 13-year career, the 32-year-old Smith understands streakiness can be a way of life for any top-six winger.

But he isn’t complacent about it.

“That happens with a lot of goal-scorers,” Smith said. “But you have to make sure that you’re getting the opportunities all the time. That’s what I’m not getting enough of right now.”

The correction to Smith’s woes doesn’t appear to be complicated in the eyes of management.

“I just think Reilly’s got to simplify his game,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Hang on to pucks in the offensive zone, take what the game gives him, not try to force plays that aren’t there. That’s when he’s at his best. He’s got a really good shot. He sees the ice really well. He’s just pressing a little bit, trying to create some offense. He’s well-intentioned. Part of the solution of capturing your very best game is just simplifying the game and taking what the game gives you.

“That’s some of the things that I’ve talked to Reilly a little bit of about. The first 10 or 12 games, he was one of our better players. Most recently, it’s been a little bit of a struggle for him. We believe he’s a guy that’s going to be an important part of the solution here. He’s a real good player, and we’re going to try to help him work through this.”

Smith is willing to exhaust every option at his disposal in trying to recapture his scoring touch.

“You can do a combination of things,” Smith said. “I don’t think there’s just one answer. When you’ve been playing a long time, there’s a lot of different resources you can pull from. It’s not the first time I’ve gone through a situation like this. And I’m sure it won’t be the last. There’s video. There’s extra time on the ice. There’s simplifying your game. It’s a combination of everything.”

Note: The Penguins assigned defenseman P.O Joseph to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League for conditioning purposes. Joseph has missed the past 14 games with an undisclosed injury.

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