PITTSBURGH – One streak will end, while another will continue.
Both entering the matchup riding a three-game winning streak, the Florida Panthers (15-9-1) will face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (10-12-4) at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Breaking out of their first slump of the season, the Panthers will start their Pennsylvania road trip coming off a 6-0 statement win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Stopping all 20 shots that he faced, Spencer Knight earned his fourth career shutout.
“We’re comfortable in tied games,” said Aaron Ekblad after the win. “We found a way to finally break it open. Obviously, I’m really proud of our team. We’re finding our identity.”
During their three-game run of success, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 17-4, including back-to-back six-goal performances against the Hurricanes to close out last week.
A key part of the team rediscovering its identity has been Matthew Tkachuk.
Influencing every game, he’s found his way on the scoresheet and under the skin of opponents.
During the win streak, he’s logged four assists, including a pair of primary helpers on Saturday.
“Our entire game is better at a certain emotional level and he’s the driver of that,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “All of [the team] really, but Matthew brings an intensity to the game every night and he’s wired into it. He’s not faking it. That’s the way he is when the puck drops. That’s infectious.”
Heating up, Tkachuk has recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 20 games this season.
Also catching stride -- and expected to get the start against the Penguins -- Knight owns a 1.83 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage over his last five starts.
With Sergei Bobrovsky staying back in South Florida to welcome a new addition to his family, Knight will be backed up by Chris Driedger, who was called up from the AHL on Monday.
As a corresponding move for cap reasons, Mackie Samoskevich, who’s been great in the early goings of his rookie season, was temporarily reassigned to the AHL to make room for Driedger.
“Mackie is just terrific,” said Maurice. “He understands the reason.”
Sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins haven’t had the first quarter of the season they were hoping for.
That being said, they have started to turn things around as of late.
Keeping their winning streak alive on Saturday, the Penguins earned a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames behind a three-point night (goal, two assists) from Michael Bunting.
Lighting the lamp as well in the win, Philip Tomasino, who they recently acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators, has scored twice in his three games with the new team.
Clicking on the power play, the Penguins have sounded the goal horn four times in their last 11 opportunities with the extra attacker.
A face of not only the Penguins but the NHL for the last two decades, Sidney Crosby has notched a team-leading 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 26 games.
On the backend, another longtime elite talent in the league, Erik Karlsson, leads Pittsburgh’s defensemen with 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 26 games.
“They're dominant down the middle and they've got great puck movers on the back end,” said Maurice. “We give them room to do that, it doesn't matter if these guys maybe they lose a half step at some point, but they keep getting smarter. There's more experience and so it’s always hard going into Pittsburgh and that's the credit to them in the franchise they built.”
In net, the Panthers will try to solve Tristan Jarry, who holds a 3.88 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.
THEY SAID IT
“It's awesome. It’s entertaining, for sure. He’s a great entertainer. He goes out there and he does the hard things...I don’t think there are any superstars in the league that do that, there are not many players that can do that. It’s awesome to watch him do that. Thankfully, he’s on our team.” – Sam Bennett on playing with Matthew Tkachuk
“I have all the trust and confidence ... We just love to play for each other. If someone makes a mistake, we pick them up or we just keep moving forward. I think that’s the kind of love that we have in this room. That allows us to play really hard and very free.” – Spencer Knight on his teammates
FIVE CATS STATS
- Sam Reinhart is one assist away from 300 career assists
- Evan Rodrigues had 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 124 regular season games with the Penguins
- Aleksander Barkov has 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 29 games versus the Penguins
- Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart are tied for the team lead of nine even-strength goals
- Aaron Ekblad’s 25 game-winning goals are fourth most in franchise history
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Jonah Gadjovich
Defensemen
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Nate Schmidt
Dmitry Kulikov – Adam Boqvist
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Chris Driedger
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Dec. 2: Chris Driedger recalled from Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
- Dec. 2: Mackie Samoskevich loaned to Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
TV & Streaming: Panthers+, WSFL-TV, WHDT, WFTX, ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 1230 WBZT-AM & 92.1 WZZR-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); Panthers App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: **Click to View Participating Bars & Restaurants**
