The Florida Panthers face the Pittsburgh Penguins with both teams looking to build off of strong seasons. The Panthers have a 23-20-5 record and are in the middle of the Atlantic Division while the Penguins have a 23-15-8 record and are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division. Both teams look to improve in the division and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Panthers are having a promising season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.38 goals per game. Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aleksander Barkov have scored 58 goals and 79 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Eetu Luostarinen have combined for 36 goals and 51 assists while defenseman Brandon Montour has added eight goals and 31 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.38 goals per game. Gustav Forsling and Josh Mahura have combined for 5.0 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. Additionally, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled in the net with a .897 save percentage and a 3.24 goals-against average on 875 shots.