Who: Florida Panthers (37-35-3, 77 points, 7th place Atlantic Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (38-22-16, 92 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)
When: 5:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and SCRIPPS, streaming on ESPN+
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Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are right back at PPG Paints Arena for a 3 p.m. ET Sunday puck drop against the Panthers, again, before hitting the road for three of the final four games of the season starting with a Thursday matchup against the New Jersey Devils.
Opponent Track: The two-time defending champions are all but out of playoff contention, but that hasn’t stopped them from playing spoiler as of late with back-to-back wins against the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.
Season Series: A third-period strike from Connor Dewar stood as the game-winner in the Penguins’ 5-3 victory over the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena back on Oct. 23.
Hidden Stat: The Penguins have gotten 95 goals this season from players in their first year with the team, the most in the NHL by a wide margin. The Anaheim Ducks rank second with 76 goals from first-year players, per Pens PR.
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Getting to know the Panthers
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – A.J. Greer
Noah Gregor – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Nolan Foote – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
DEFENSEMEN
Gustav Forsling / Michael Benning
Donovan Sebrango / Seth Jones
Tobias Bjornfot / Mikulas Hovorka
Goalies:Â Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov
Potential scratches: Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Uvis Balinskis, Cole Reinhardt
Injured Reserve: Evan Rodrigues
LTIR: Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, Cole Schwindt, Jonah Godjovich, Niko Mikkola
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The Panthers added to one of the longest injury lists in the NHL ahead of their Thursday night win over the Boston Bruins by announcing that Aaron Ekblad (fractured right hand) and Dmitry Kulikov (puck to the face) were out of the lineup.
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Florida could get both Kulikov and center Cole Schwindt, who has been sidelined since February with a lower-body injury, back for this weekend’s series, coach Paul Maurice said earlier this week.
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Even with half of their regular lineup available, the Panthers are heading into this matchup on a two-game win streak thanks in part to some strong play from their goaltenders. Both Daniil Tarasov and Sergei Bobrovsky, who have been regularly alternating starts this season, are likely to get the nod during this weekend’s back-to-back.
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Putting Bobrovsky and Stuart Skinner in the same game would put these two goaltenders on track to rematch after facing off in the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, both of which the Panthers won over the Edmonton Oilers.
Season stats
via hockeydb
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The Panthers are without three of their top five producers in Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand. Since the Olympic break, they’ve ranked 25th in the NHL with 2.72 goals per game.
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Losses are important right now for the Panthers, whose upcoming first-round pick is top-1o protected. Tankathon currently gives Florida five percent odds at the top pick in the draft, but they’re also just two standings points away from leapfrogging the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators and sliding out of the top 10 altogether. Adding a high pick from the draft this offseason would help the Panthers gear up for a more competitive 2026-27 campaign with a healthier roster.
And now for the Pens
Projected linesÂ
FORWARDS
Egor Chinakhov – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha – Rickard Rakell – Justin Brazeau
Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Goalies:Â Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Ilya Solovyov, Blake Lizotte (injured), Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany
IR:Â Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)
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The Pens sent Avery Hayes back to the AHL on Friday. The team also announced that Caleb Jones, who just finished out serving a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s performance enhancing substances policy, has undergone season-ending right shoulder surgery.
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Evgeni Malkin is heading into tonight’s game one point shy of 1,400, while Sidney Crosby is three points away from averaging a point per game for the 21st time in 21 years. Crosby also hasn’t scored a goal in seven games, a drought that dates back to his return from injury on March 18.
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Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs are both likely to get playing time during this weekend’s back-to-back. There is still the possibility the Penguins could call up AHL star Sergei Murashov to see if he could be a possibility for a potential playoff run, although they’re running out of regular-season runway to do so.
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The Flyers claimed a 4-1 win over the Islanders on Friday night to improve the Pens’ cushion for the second spot in the Metro to three points with a game in hand. The Isles (4-6-0 in their last ten), Blue Jackets (4-5-1) and Red Wings (4-5-1) are slumping, while the rise of the Ottawa Senators (6-3-1) and Flyers (7-3-0) means there is now a four-way points tie at the back of the Wild Card race. From NHL.com:
