It would not be unfair to say that have not played up to expectations this season.Even though they carried a 12-8-0 record entering their game against the on Wedneday night, they stumbled their way to that mark with a shaky defense and an offense that has been among the worst in the league Alexander Edler Women Jersey in terms of goal scoring even though they have a roster that boasts , , and at the top of it.At the center of those struggles offensively is Crosby, a two-time MVP, two-time scoring champion, and the 's leader in points per game (by a substantial margin) in each of the past five seasons. Through 20 games he has managed just three goals and eight a sists and has rarely -- if at all -- looked like the dominant player he has been throughout his career.When you combine that disappointing start -- both on an individual level and a team level -- with the yearly Stanley Cup-or-bust expectations that have not been met in Pittsburgh it can lead to some tense times. We already saw Evgeni Malkin voice some frustration after a recent lo s before following it up with a monster game the next time out. But things took a surprising turn on Wednesday when NHL analyst Matthew Barnaby and said that he has heard Crosby and team owner Mario Lemieux have had a "falling out" in recent years. According to Barnaby, the rumored rift is related to coaching and the team's postseason lo s in 2014 when they lost a 3-1 series lead to the in the second-round of the playoffs.Just a few hours after Barnaby's comments, Lemieux i sued a brief statement through the Penguins denying that any rift exists with Crosby, calling the entire thing "silly."Mario Lemieux on rumored 'rift' with Sidney Crosby: "It's absolutely not true. It's silly." Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) Even if there was some sort of i sue it's not like the Penguins, Anders Nilsson Kids Jersey or Crosby, or anybody involved would come out and admit it. And whether or not an i sue between Crosby and the owner exists off the ice -- or between Crosby and anybody, for that matter -- is a matter of speculation and nothing more.What isn't a matter of speculation is this: There is definitely something wrong with Crosby the ice. We still have a ma sive failing in the NHL with the way we overreact to short-term swings in production, both positive and negative. Not every losing streak or scoring drought is a cause for concern, and not every winning streak or offensive surge from a player means they're taking a big step forward. Over 82 games every team and player is going to hit peaks and valleys, especially in an era where teams are only scoring two or three goals per game. Superstars score in bunches. Teams score in bunches. And then they run dry for a while.Slumps happen. They've happened to Crosby before, and they will happen to him again in the future.But he has never experienced anything like . With just 11 points in 20 games entering play on Wednesday, he is not only off to the worst start of his career through 20 games, this is simply the Reid Boucher Jersey worst 20-game stretch he has had in his career at any point. Ever. And it's really not even close.If you break Crosby's career down to 20-game segments he's been held to le s than 20 points just 9 percent of the time. Before this current stretch he was held to le s than 15 points during one 20-game stretch just two other times, and never below 14. This isn't just a slump. This is a ma sive, ma sive drop in production.What stands out about that is that of his 20-worst stretches of his career have come during two very specific time periods: The 2005-06 season when he was an 18-year-old rookie, and during the past 12 months.Some of that should be expected. Even though Crosby is still only 28 years old, he's at an age where his point production is going to start decreasing no matter what he does or how well he plays. It's an unavoidable reality of life in the NHL where players hit their peak much earlier than people realize. But it shouldn't be much of a sudden drop. There are a lot of theories as to why this is happening, and most of them relate to the coaching of Mike Johnston and the system he has implemented. Especially this season where defensive play seems to be a significantly bigger focus than in years past, while the centers aren't given the freedom to use their skills offensively.Consider this comment from Johnston and the newfound defensive responsibilities of their centers:"Sometimes, yeah, it may take a couple points off because we don't let (Crosby) blow the zone early. But that's good defensive play that's going to help you win games." He's basically saying that he's OK with Crosby scoring fewer points if it means a better overall game. After multiple games this season Johnston has repeatedly commented on how much he liked Crosby's "200-foot game" even though he didn't appear on the scoresheet or come close to finding the back of the net. It's not the type of thing you expect to hear when talking about one of the most prolific scorers in NHL history.It wouldn't be Alex Burmistrov Men Jersey the first time a coach has asked an elite scorer to sacrifice some offense for more defense. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (see: Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals a few years ago). One instance where it did work was in Detroit with Steve Yzerman, who for the first 10 years of his career was as dominant of an offensive player as you could find in the league in an era. Between 1984 and 1994 the only players that averaged more points per game than him were Wayne Gretzky, Lemieux and Mike Bo sy. He was a goal-producing machine.But when Scotty Bowman came to Detroit he insisted that Yzerman focus more on defense and become a better overall player, a demand that nearly resulted in Yzerman being traded to Ottawa. Eventually, Yzerman changed, became the great two-way player he's now known for being, and won multiple Stanley Cups. That all started to happen at the exact same age Crosby is now. It's worth wondering (and this is just a gue s) if Johnston sees his captain as entering that portion of his career right now. He's not going to score as much as he used to, so he better find a way to make up for it in other areas, while also helping to cover up for a defensive unit that is short on talent.The problem with that Brendan Leipsic Kids Jersey is the fact it would not only rob Crosby of his greatest a set to the team (scoring), but it also doesn't seem to be working all that well.It's not producing the desired results, anyway. The Penguins are still a bad defensive team (goaltending has carried them in that area this year) and Crosby is not only scoring at an all-time low rate for him, but he's been on the ice for more goals against during 5-on-5 play than any other forward on the team. And nobody else is even close to him.But it's not just the supposed focus on defense that is at play here. His play in the offensive zone isn't what it used to be, either.There is a belief out there that since his concu sion that robbed him of what should