You may have noticed that more power plays have been given away in recent games. Many Penguins I’ve spoken with aren’t surprised by this.

The big talk around the NHL during the past couple of weeks is the lack of scoring that is taking the fun out of the league. Power plays equal more goals. Some players believe referees have been told to call games tighter because of the lack of offense.

In the Penguins’ first 14 games, they received 44 power plays and were shorthanded 44 times. This means an average of 6.28 power plays were dispensed per game, or 3.14 for each team. During the past couple of weeks, the talk of enhancing scoring has been a big topic. The Penguins have played five games during this stretch.

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Jim Rutherford is never one to hide his feelings. The general manager of the Penguins is pleased that his team has rebounded from its 0-3 start, but he still doesn’t like the look of it. He expects more offense, more consistency, and a better look in general. He’s happy with the overall work of his coaching staff, but he doesn’t sound overjoyed with Mike Johnston.

Also, in our lengthy conversation Thursday afternoon for the Friday Insider, Rutherford commented on Sidney Crosby’s slump, Kris Letang’s issues and suggested a trade for a defenseman is inevitable:

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EDMONTON, Alberta — The Penguins have gone 5-1 in their past six games. During that stretch, they’ve killed 18 of 19 penalties and, while he still isn’t scoring in bunches, Sidney Crosby’s play has improved noticeably.

Why could this be?

Pascal Dupuis made his return six games ago, which might have something to do with all of this. His presence should never be underestimated. I’ve spoken with a number of his teammates and coaches on the Penguins’ road trip to Western Canada this week, and they all marvel at Dupuis. He’s still as fast as ever, they’ll tell you. He’s still got that big shot, that exceptional penalty-killing ability and the natural chemistry with Crosby.

“He’s pretty incredible,” Crosby told me.

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Narratives abound about why the Pirates have been successful the past three years, some of them silly (defensive shifts and pitch-framing!) and some of them flat-out wrong (their oft-cited drafting actually has been abysmal).

The truth is, aside from an internal core of Dave Littlefield/Ed Creech draft picks such as Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes; plus a No. 1 overall pick by Neal Huntington in Gerrit Cole; plus superb Latin American finds in Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and the bulk of the system’s top prospects; most of Huntington’s best results have come from outside acquisitions. That’s where they found A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin, Francisco Liriano, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Josh Harrison, Francisco Cervelli, Jung-Ho Kang and you can probably throw J.A. Happ on the pile, too.

The Pirates haven’t spent a ton of money, relative to their peers, but they’ve made so few mistakes with their spending that it stands out.

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It’s gone from a whisper to a roar.

Not so long ago, it was completely uncool inside the Steelers’ locker room to diminish in any way anything related to Dick LeBeau. He was the living legend, the architect of two Super Bowl defenses and the zone blitz, and he was so beloved that the mere mention of his name once caused James Harrison to break up on national TV.

Well, here’s what’s up these days: The Steelers’ defense now ranks seventh in the NFL in points allowed per game at 19.0, way up from 18th and 23.0 last season. It now ranks fourth with 16 sacks, way up from 26th and a total of 33 last season. It’s hitting harder. It’s hurrying the quarterback more. It’s getting hands on the football.

It’s getting actual interceptions and actual returns, for crying out loud …

And it’s funny how no one really seems inclined to keep quiet about it anymore.

“It’s night and day,” Mike Mitchell was telling me Thursday at the team’s South Side HQ. “There’s so much more cohesiveness, so much more awareness of what’s happening around us and why … I can’t even put that into words.”

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For all the fuss kicked up with the Steelers’ opener in Foxborough a week ago, from headsets to head-shaking playcalls, what might have gotten lost is something of potentially great significance to the franchise that didn’t happen.

Kelvin Beachum didn’t sign.

I thought he and management would work out an extension, and I’m guessing most of the Nation felt likewise. I thought it would go right to the wire, as is usually the case, but I also thought that, as with Troy Polamalu and so many others in recent years, it would happen on the way to the plane or the bus or even Gillette Stadium.

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CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — “The smile would be there either way, even if I was just with my family and not playing hockey. It’s just that it’s a little wider now.”

And to prove that, Pascal Dupuis flashed every tooth he’s got, falsies and all, then got back to peeling off his skates and sweat-stained socks. This was Thursday afternoon at the new Lemieux Sportsplex, and the Penguins’ re-energized Engine No. 9 had just expended all he had in a two-hour scrimmage with a few of his teammates and a handful of other NHL players with Pittsburgh ties.

He isn’t quite all the way back, but he’s approaching the first station.

And let’s not mince words here: That’s … well, it’s terrifying.

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