theathleticuk
In the NHL, goal scorers are judged by one simple question: how many? As the 2026-27 season nears the one-month mark, several players expected to light the lamp are instead searching for answers. Morgan Geekie has just one goal. Wyatt Johnston, who potted 45 last year (top five in the league), has only two. Pavel Dorofeyev, coming off a 35-goal regular season and a 12-goal playoff run, has three with his new team. When the goals dry up, the focus shifts from how many to how—how have they fallen behind, why aren't they scoring, and is it time to worry?
Zach Benson, Buffalo Sabres: 0 goals in 11 games
Benson isn't a pure sniper—he scored 13 goals in 65 games last season—but the Sabres are counting on his internal growth to offset key departures, and his usage has spiked accordingly. Zero goals in 11 games is starting to raise eyebrows. In his expanded role, Benson is getting chances. Unlike teammate Josh Doan, whose slow start stems from shooting from farther out, Benson is driving closer to the net. His shot quality has produced 4.42 expected goals, per Sportlogiq. But he hasn't converted any of them, giving him the third-worst goals-below-expected mark in the league. Joel Eriksson Ek (No. 1 on that list) and Jack Hughes (No. 4) are still producing at high rates, but Benson joins a long list of underperforming Sabres. Only three Buffalo forwards—Doan, Tage Thompson, and Jack Quinn—are on the positive side of that ledger, making Benson's zero all the more glaring. Several factors may be at play. Despite challenging goalies from closer and attempting more shots at five-on-five than last year, Benson is missing the net more often. What happens before those shots matters, too. A puck hound who retrieves and pressures to extend zone time, Benson does damage off the cycle, but he's creating fewer scoring chances in transition this year, removing a dimension from his attack. He also hasn't been taking one-timers, which made up nearly 14 percent of his shots last season. Benson doesn't rip one-timers from the circle like Steven Stamkos, but he can challenge goalies from the slot, where he typically stations himself at five-on-five to screen, deflect, and pounce on rebounds. If his linemates can set him up for more one-timers—and he can get his shots off faster—it would add unpredictability and could open the floodgates.
Morgan Geekie, Boston Bruins: 1 goal in 12 games
Sustainability questions have followed Geekie's scoring for two seasons. His 2024-25 breakout featured improved shot quality and a shooting percentage double his career average. In 2025-26, despite climbing to 39 goals, his expected goals didn't rise like the prior year. Based on his shot quality, an average shooter would have scored closer to 23 goals. That gap—15.3 goals above expected—led the league. Elite scorers consistently outscore expectations because they reach dangerous areas and have dynamic shots. Geekie, despite the last two seasons, hasn't joined that tier. Instead, he's benefited from playing alongside one of them in David Pastrňák, who is also an elite playmaker. Downticks in Geekie's scoring often correlate with time away from Pastrňák. Last season, he scored 17 of his 23 five-on-five goals at a pace of 1.78 per 60 with Pastrňák; without him, that pace plummeted to 0.69. Pastrňák demands attention as a dual threat with an excellent shot and sneaky passing, but his presence hasn't been enough to get Geekie going—he isn't even hitting the net in their shared minutes. About 68 percent of Geekie's five-on-five shots went on goal in each of the last two seasons; this year, less than 40 percent are connecting, which seems to be the reason for his slowdown. To his credit, he's finding other ways to contribute, setting up teammates with more passes to the slot, which may explain Pastrňák's increased shot rate in their combined minutes. But that hasn't moved the needle enough on the second line. Perhaps the key is simply increasing his shot volume rather than trying to score on so few chances. Regression was inevitable, but it shouldn't be this dramatic.
Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars: 2 goals in 9 games
Johnston was held off the scoresheet for seven straight games to open the season. As the drought wore on, he increased his shot volume. He attempted 34 shots in all situations over his first five games (6.8 per game), then upped it to nine against the Chicago Blackhawks and 11 against the Bruins three nights later. Finally, he broke through last Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and again on Sunday against the New York Islanders. Unlike Geekie and Point, there are no glaring underlying red flags. If anything, the opposite is true despite the seven-game drought. It would have been one thing if Johnston's slow start stemmed from the Stars' power-play struggles, given how pivotal those situations were last year—he scored 27 of his 45 goals and 42 of his 86 points there. But this season, even through the goal drought, there are promising upticks at five-on-five. Mikko Rantanen is attempting and completing more passes to the slot and moving the puck more in transition, helping Johnston generate 9.67 slot attempts per 60. That's what set up Johnston's first goal on Thursday—Rantanen's cross-seam pass found him with time and space on a delayed penalty. On Sunday, Nils Lundkvist set him up in the slot. Combine Johnston's increased five-on-five chances with his power-play work, and his expected goals sit around five, pacing to about 46 goals over 82 games (he missed two). As long as he builds on these last two games, he's trending exactly how Dallas wants.
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning: 2 goals in 11 games
After three straight 40-goal seasons, Point managed only 18 in 63 games last year—a 23-goal pace over 82 games. Was that an injury-plagued outlier with a below-average shooting percentage, or a sign of things to come? This year's start hasn't inspired much hope. With two goals in 11 games, Point is on a 15-goal pace over 84 games. The Lightning's unresolved power-play issues are part of the problem, but at five-on-five, his skating may not be as explosive. His rate of 18-20 mph bursts has been consistent over the years, but his 22-plus mph bursts have ticked down over the last couple of seasons. Tampa Bay isn't a fast team up and down the lineup, especially on the back end, making Point's ability to play with pace so dynamic. Last year's knee injury may have affected his skating and his ability to generate chances off the rush. This season, Point is generating a slightly higher rate of transition chances, even without the scoring to show for it. But he could do a better job of driving to the slot. Only 54 percent of his five-on-five shots have come from there through 11 games; in 2024-25, on his way to 42 goals, 70 percent did. Finding that top gear more often could be the key to creating separation and getting back to his strengths consistently.
Pavel Dorofeyev, New York Rangers: 3 goals in 14 games
When Dorofeyev was traded to the Rangers and signed a seven-year contract with an $11 million cap hit, the big question was whether he could be his best self away from a powerhouse like the Golden Knights. While he's proven to be a talented goal scorer—with back-to-back 35-plus goal seasons and a 12-goal playoff run last spring—he also benefited from his surroundings. Vegas's two-way structure and elite playmakers helped him reach those heights, and the Rangers don't have that same level of support. A three-goal start, putting him on an 18-goal pace, looks like proof of concept. But the situation isn't that dire yet: the process is trending in the right direction, even if results lag. Dorofeyev is generating plenty of looks at five-on-five in different ways. His 10.1 slot attempts per 60 rank second to Will Cuylle and come from both transition and the cycle. He's shooting from closer than last year and getting more shots on goal. One difference could be what precedes his shots. Last season, 20 of his regular-season goals were set up by a righty—Mitch Marner (13), Mark Stone (eight), and Jack Eichel (two). This season, he's spent most even-strength time alongside two left-handed forwards, J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye, slightly changing where and how he accepts passes. That's not to say he can't thrive with a lefty—he scored off passes from Tomáš Hertl and Ivan Barbashev in Vegas, too. But it's an adjustment on top of systematic changes and lineup shuffling at even strength and on the power play. Finding where Dorofeyev best fits makes sense, but it also makes it harder to build chemistry. To his credit, those changes haven't stopped him from generating chances. His expected goals were 5.47 heading into Monday's matchup. As long as the process doesn't drastically change and he keeps creating, he should find more consistency. A player of his caliber won't shoot seven percent forever.
Data via Sportlogiq, MoneyPuck, and HockeyStats.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.