RECAP: Back at full strength, Panthers cruise past Penguins

SUNRISE, Fla. -- With their lineup the healthiest it's been all season, the Florida Panthers were firing on all cylinders in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at FLA Live Arena on Saturday.
Improving to 31-27-6, Florida now sits three points out of a playoff spot.
"It was awesome," Panthers forward Sam Bennett said. "You could feel the energy in the room. Everyone's excited. It's great having a full lineup. We've got a lot of confidence right now and we're ready to do whatever it takes and make that push."

Making an immediate impact in his first game back since suffering an injury on Feb. 14, Bennett broke the ice for the Panthers in the first period when he followed up on a shot from Carter Verhaeghe and sent the ensuing rebound past Casey DeSmith to make it 1-0 at 19:38.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida led 9-0 in scoring chances at 5-on-5 in the first period.

"It was a grinder there, and not a slow grinder," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "In the first, the shots were whatever they were, and it was going to be whatever team was more comfortable with that game was going to break it open. The first goal was very, very important."
On the power play in the second period, Aleksander Barkov, who also returned from an injury that had sidelined him since Feb. 20, helped the Panthers double their lead when he teed up Aaron Ekblad for a blistering one-timer from the left circle with a slick pass to make it 2-0 at 4:11.
Earning an extended 5-on-3 power play, the Penguins finally got on the board when Kris Letang fired a rocket of a one-timer past Sergei Bobrovsky from the left circle to make it 2-1 at 8:51.
Feeding off the momentum generated by a big blocker save from Bobrovsky on Sidney Crosby, the Panthers extended their lead when Eetu Luostarinen, who looked very comfortable on the top line alongside Barkov and Anthony Duclair, potted a juicy rebound to make it 3-1 at 19:50.
Padding the lead in the third period, Verhaeghe carried the puck into the offensive zone and sniped a shot over DeSmith's glove into the far corner of the cage to make it 4-1 at 9:53.
Even with things getting testy to the tune of nine combined penalties in the third period, the Panthers kept their cool right until the very end. But when it was time to tango after Bobrovsky was hit up high by Jason Zucker, everyone on the ice -- including Bobrovsky -- stepped in.
"I love seeing Bobby jump in the scrum," Bennett said. "It shows his passion. We had five guys ready to jump in there right away, which is always great to see. … We're a really tight group and we stand up for each other."
Turning aside 31 of 32 shots in the win, Bobrovsky went a perfect 25-for-25 at even strength.
"It's huge," said Bobrovsky, who owns a 12-6-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and .917 save percentage over his last 20 appearances. "It's right about time to keep building and keep going. It's the biggest games. It's a huge win for us, and the next one's even bigger."

CATS QUOTES

"It was a full 60 minutes. I don't think we had any bad moments in the game. Whenever they had a good chance to score, Bob was there for us the whole game. It was a full 60-minute effort by everyone." - Aleksander Barkov on beating the Penguins
"I feel great. Obviously it's tough to be out and watch your team. You want to be out there helping them. It was definitely a great feeling to be out there tonight and get a win." - Sam Bennett on getting back into the lineup
"He had an incredible blocker save, and that just lights your bench up because he's just got this look about him now -- so strong, so quick. If we can keep the shots against to a reasonable number for him, we can give him an opportunity to have a night like this." - Paul Maurice on Sergei Bobrovsky

CATS NOTES

• Brandon Montour is the fifth defenseman in Panthers history to record a 50-point season.
  - Aleksander Barkov has notched at least one point in 15 of his last 19 games.
  - Aaron Ekblad reached the 10-goal mark for the eighth time in nine NHL seasons.
  - Matthew Tkachuk is the seventh player in the NHL to reach the 80-point plateau this season.
  - Sergei Bobrovsky went 8-for-8 against high-danger shots, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers (31-27-6) will look to pick up another important two points when they continue their homestand with a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights (37-19-6) at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
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