from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Take a look at the NHL's scoring leaders. Jakub Voracek, Tyler Seguin, Claude Giroux, Ryan Getzlaf. OK. Keep going. Down, down, down, oh, there's Sidney Crosby.

The defending Hart Trophy winner is enduring an unusual point drought and sits 12th in league scoring. After a torrid start to the season, Crosby has just four goals in his last 26 games. The paucity of goals (he is tied for fourth with 27 assists) makes you wonder if this is some sort of lingering issue with a wrist injury that plagued him during the playoffs last spring.

Not that he is the sort to make excuses. Still, the bright side, if you're a Pens fan, is that even with Crosby off the mark near the midpoint, the Penguins, who defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on New Year's Eve in a game that saw Crosby held off the score sheet, remain tied with the New York Islanders for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and one point off the top point total in the Eastern Conference.

read on for Custance on Nick Foligno, LeBrun on USA/Canada WJC and Strang on Clint Reif