RALEIGH, N.C. — Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, before his two-assist effort Thursday against Buffalo, had points in just one of his first nine games. Sid the Kid, hockey’s veteran poster boy, had lost his touch.

Crosby wasn’t dwelling on his situation — however rare and uncomfortable it was — because Pittsburgh was winning. After an 0-3 start, the Penguins have gone 6-1. They’ll be fine, and Captain Crosby — who has 858 points in 637 career games — will get his points.

Optimism isn’t quite the same for Crosby’s Colorado buddy, Matt Duchene, who is also off to a surprisingly slow start for the 3-6-1 Avalanche. Duchene is tied for 12th on the team in scoring, with just two points (one goal). Indeed, he has been keeping tabs with Crosby, his offseason training partner and confidant.

“Right now I’m just focusing on the two points we got tonight, move forward and keep your head down and work hard,” Duchene said Thursday after a 2-1 victory at Tampa Bay. “It’s kind of an anomaly right now. (Crosby) is getting a lot of questions about (his slump), so I’m not going to start asking him about (mine). He probably doesn’t want to do the same with me.”

Duchene has been victimized by two great saves, by Carolina’s Cam Ward and the Lightning’s Ben Bishop — both paddle stops from a desperate lunge — and the former probably cost Colorado a point in a 1-0 overtime loss.

The second improbable save Friday seemed to mess with Duchene’s head, according to coach Patrick Roy, because his Canadian Olympian and 2015 World Championship gold medalist let Bishop’s heroics affect him the rest of the game. And the save came on the first shift of the game.

Late in the third period, with Colorado clinging to a 2-1 lead, Duchene shot the puck over the glass from just inside the Avs’ blue line. It gave Steven Stamkos and the NHL’s highest-scoring offense last season a power-play chance to tie.

Duchene said he believes that was the first time he’s ever taken a delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck out of play from the defensive zone. Ultimately, the Avs’ penalty killers preserved the win.

“That’s where I need to play with more confidence and take an extra couple steps and make sure that I get over the blue line before I flip it out,” Duchene said. “But the boys did a great job killing it and I’m very thankful for that.”

Duchene’s scoring struggles coincided with Colorado’s offensive woes last season, when he was held to 21 goals in 82 games — his lowest full-season amount. But he had a solid showing at the World Championship, with 12 points in 10 games. He regained whatever he had lost.

Now? He’s not scoring, and flipping the puck into the stands. Duchene, 24, is a great player and an outstanding teammate. But his confidence might be the lowest it’s ever been as a pro. Until he gets it back and helps carry the team, the Avalanche will continue to bleed.

Mike Chambers: mchambers@ denverpost.com or @mikechambers