Florida Panthers
Pittsburgh Penguins Show Signs of Life. Just in Time to Face Panthers
The Pittsburgh Penguins may be tied for last in the Metropolitan Division, but the Florida Panthers will not take them lightly when they meet tonight in the Steel City.
Nor should they.
Especially with the way the Penguins have played lately.
And any team with players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin can do big things.
Both have something to prove before they retire and want to restore Pittsburgh’s past glory.
The Penguins won three Stanley Cups in the Crosby years but have not fared well lately.
They missed the playoffs the past two years and have not been out of the first round since 2018.
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Florida fans may recall that the Penguins’ shocking home loss to a last-place Chicago team in the penultimate game of the 2022-23 season clinched the Panthers a playoff spot.
This season has not been kind to the Penguins, but they have shown signs of straightening things out – and perhaps saving a few jobs and deadline trades along the way.
Pittsburgh is on a three-game win streak, following a disastrous run of one win in seven games.
Earlier in the season, the Penguins had a six-game winless streak.
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Both of their goalies have struggled: Tristen Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic have sub-.900 save percentages and are both north of 3 goals-against.
Before the current streak, the team had signs of dissent and frustration.
Morale was low.
After a recent blown lead and loss to Tampa Bay, typically composed coach Mike Sullivan openly questioned his team’s pride and competitive level.
Things have changed, albeit only for three games.
Against Calgary Saturday, the Penguins scored the first five goals in a 6-2 blowout win.
Word out of Pittsburgh is that veterans such as Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, who seemed sluggish early in the season, have regained their touch.
Karlsson (who is 34) and Letang (37) are Pittsburgh’s time-on-ice leaders.
The power play has regained its form with three goals in the Calgary game — all by the second unit.
Sullivan, for one of the few times this season, had positive words about his players.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence we were able to string three in a row here,’’ he said per Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
“I think the style of game that we’re playing is conducive to winning. … I think they’re starting to believe. And for me, that’s a good feeling.”
What does this all mean for the Panthers?
We have two teams anxious to extend their modest win streaks.
Both are playing much-improved hockey than they were just a week ago.
“We played Pittsburgh three times early last season when their schedule was reasonable and they were all you could handle,’’ Paul Maurice said Monday. “Pittsburgh has some high-end guys who play very fast and they are playing with confidence. That makes them dangerous.’’
ON DECK: GAME 26
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
- When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
- Where: PPG Arena, Pittsburgh
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Season Series — At Florida: Jan. 3; March 23. At Pittsburgh: Tuesday.
- Last Season: Panthers won 3-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Penguins lead 56-38-8, 4 ties
- All-time Playoff Series: Florida d. Pittsburgh 4-3, 1996 Eastern Conference finals
- Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
