Nick Bjugstad's struggles continue for the Penguins
Held without a point through his first four games of the season, Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad found a way to get in the box score in his fifth contest Saturday.
He took a penalty against Oilers forward Markus Granlund at 3 minutes, 31 seconds of the third period, giving Edmonton its first power play of the game, which the Oilers won 2-1 in overtime.
Centering the third line, Bjugstad, who carries the franchise’s eighth-largest salary cap hit at $4.1 million according to Cap Friendly, logged 11:03 of ice time on 18 shifts and failed to record a shot on net.
Injured for most of the season, Bjugstad is one of two forwards on the roster who have failed to score a goal this season. Alex Galchenyuk, who has two assists in five games, is the other.
“Obviously, we think Nick is capable of playing better than he is at this point,” said Sullivan, who is usually hesitant to criticize a player individually. “To his defense, he hasn’t played a lot. He’s another guy that’s been out. When you jump back in the lineup, sometimes it takes a little bit of an adjustment process. But we do think he’s capable of more.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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