Zetterberg, Bergeron among five high-profile players who need to get their groove back

BySCOTT BURNSIDE
November 3, 2016, 8:11 AM

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Here are five players who need to look up and see the headlights headed their way:

Henrik Zetterberg, LW,? Detroit Red Wings

It has been a kind of a feast-or-famine start to the season for the Red Wings, as a six-game winning streak has been bookended by a pair of two-game slides. If Detroit is going to be more consistent, it stands to reason that its captain will lead the way.

So far it has been a difficult start for Zetterberg, though, as he has just four assists in 10 games.

Zetterberg, 36, missed the World Cup of Hockey because he was still recovering from injury and is coming off an NHL season that saw him register just 50 points, well off his career average, and finish with a minus-15. The classy Swede scored just once in a five-game, first-round loss to the? Tampa Bay Lightning?last spring and is clearly struggling to find his game for a Red Wings team that many picked to miss the playoffs.

Patrice Bergeron, C,? Boston Bruins

It's fair to suggest that the 5-4-0 Bruins are getting by early on thanks to the play of goalie? Tuukka Rask. That was apparent when Rask missed time recovering from injury last week, and it's a red flag for a Bruins team desperate to get back to the playoffs after missing the postseason for two consecutive years.

Boston's power play ranks dead last in the league and it is 26th in goals scored per game. One of the key offensive issues early on has been the lack of production from glue guy Bergeron. It's clear the three-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner is not quite right, as he has just one goal in six games and bears little resemblance to the dynamo who lit it up in the World Cup while playing with tournament MVP Sidney Crosby and Bruins linemate Brad Marchand, and who led Boston a year ago with a career-best 32 goals and collected 68 points.

There's something amiss with one of the game's great two-way players, and Bergeron rounding back into form is crucial to the Bruins staying in the hunt.