Panthers at Penguins
Fresh off handing the St. Louis Blues their first loss of the season, the Florida Panthers can't afford a letdown as they begin a rugged five-game stretch with a visit to the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Four of the next five are on the road for Florida, with the lone home game a rematch versus Pittsburgh.
Offense has been the name of the game for the Panthers, who have scored 13 goals for their highest three-game output to start a season in franchise history. "I think we have a little bit of swagger right now, a little bit of confidence that even when we go down a goal or two, we know that we have the firepower to answer right back," Florida forward Vincent Trocheck said. "That's going to be huge for us going forward." That swagger may be needed to go toe-to-toe with the Penguins, who outscored the Panthers 12-3 while sweeping the three-game series last season. After surrendering 15 goals in consecutive losses to start the season, Pittsburgh appeared back on track with impressive wins over Nashville and at Washington before dropping a 5-4 decision in Tampa Bay on Thursday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2-1-0): Defenseman Ian McCoshen, a second-round draft pick appearing in his sixth NHL game, notched the first goal of his career to open the scoring for Florida against St. Louis. "Pretty much disbelief," McCoshen admitted. "It's obviously surreal, scoring your first NHL goal. The team was really supportive. It was a great team win." Center Nick Bjugstad, who slumped to seven goals and 14 points last season, has put together back-to-back two-point games.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (2-2-1): Jake Guentzel helped spark Pittsburgh to its second straight Stanley Cup title with 13 goals in 25 playoff games and has carried the scoring touch into this season with five points in five contests. Center Evgeni Malkin has only one fewer point but has been held off the scoresheet for the past two games and vowed to improve. “I know I can play better, and I will,” Malkin said. “I need a little bit more time, need more confidence and I’ll be back.”
OVERTIME
1. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby torched the Panthers for five goals and an assist in the three meetings last season.
2. Florida has 15 players with at least one point.
3. Malkin went consecutive games without a point only twice last season.