The Florida Panthers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Sunday night. The Panthers lose precious points in the wild card race. They are three points out with an extra game played. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh remains in the third spot in the Metropolitan division.
Game Recap
Just over a quarter of the way through the first period, Florida struck first. On a flurry of shots, Ryan Lomberg capitalized on a rebound for the early lead. Nearly four minutes later, the Cats would find themselves killing off a penalty. They would successfully kill off the penalty and leave the first period leading 1-0.
Early in the second period, Florida received a power play thanks to Pittsburgh’s Jan Rutta. However, the special teams goal would go the other way. Kris Letang would tie the game at one with a shorthanded goal on a 2-on-1 rush. Later in the period, Carter Verhaeghe would take a seat in the box. Both sides of the Penguins special teams would score, as Jake Guentzel scored a power play goal. For the 2-1 lead, Guentzel controversially redirected the puck with his skate into the back of the net. The Pittsburgh special teams dominated the middle frame, to end ahead 2-1.
With a close game in the third, mistakes would decide the winner. A delay of game penalty against Aaron Ekblad and the Panthers would be detrimental. Another redirected power play goal would give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. This goal would be from Evgeni Malkin, taking it off his legs but it would also leave him injured. Shortly after, Verhaeghe would dish a beautiful backhand pass for a one timer Reinhart goal. This cut the lead to one. With just over a minute left, Jake Guentzel scored an empty netter to seal a 4-2 win for the Penguins. Pittsburgh dominated the third period, allowing them to escape with the win.
FL Teams Star of the Game
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Sergei Bobrovsky was the best Panther on the ice on this occasion. Stopping 35 out of 38 shots, Bobrovsky did not allow a single goal during even strength play. If Florida had not committed so many penalties, they could have came away victorious.
Up Next
Florida hits the road for a quick two game road trip starting Saturday night in New Jersey. They will take on the New Jersey Devils with a 7:30 PM puck drop.