RECAP: Panthers 5, Penguins 2

PITTSBURGH – It took less than 10 minutes for a tight game to become a blowout.

Fueled by a four-goal outburst in the second period, the Florida Panthers extended their franchise-record road winning streak to nine games with a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday.

Improving to 34-15-4, the Panthers, who’ve won seven of their last eight games overall, now trail the Boston Bruins by just two points for first place in the Atlantic Division.

“Guys work hard,” said Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 25 saves to earn his 26^th win of the season. “We build chemistry. I think things are getting together for us. We just have to be focused on one shift at a time and keep chipping away.”

In the first period, the penalty kill came up big for the Panthers. Helping keep the game scoreless, they surrendered just two shots on goal over two power plays for the Penguins, who entered tonight’s game converting on just 13.9% of their trips to the man advantage.

Despite neither team scoring, the Panthers held the Penguins to just three total shots on goal in the first period, matching the fewest they’ve allowed in a single period this season.

“It was a hard-fought even grinder in the first,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said.

On the power play in the second period, the Penguins thought they opened the scoring when Rickard Rakell roofed a goal. But after a challenge by the Panthers, the score came off the board after it was ruled the puck was touched with a high stick prior to the goal.

From nearly trailing to suddenly taking the lead, the Panthers lit the lamp soon after their successful challenge when Matthew Tkachuk finished off a give-and-go with Evan Rodrigues, who'd just exited the box, by firing a shot past Tristan Jarry from the bottom of the left circle to make it 1-0 at 4:28.

Since Jan. 1, Tkachuk, carrying a sizzling stick, has scored 13 goals in just 17 games.

"His game, in some ways, isn't any different from the start except for timing and a little bit of quickness," Maurice said.

Just 34 seconds after Tkachuk's opening tally, the Panthers doubled their newfound advantage when Jonah Gadjovich tipped in a shot from Brandon Montour to make it 2-0 at 5:02.

Not done there, the Panthers, finally earning a power play of their own, padded their lead when Aaron Ekblad collected a pass from Tkachuk, carried the rubber into the right circle and beat Jarry with a wicked far-side snipe to make it 3-0 at 8:27.

“Big penalty kills will find a way to give you momentum,” Ekblad said. “The way we responded and came out and got some goals was huge. It’s always deflating for them in that situation where right after a power play where you hope to grab momentum, you get scored on.”

Catching the Penguins in a line change after an interception from Nick Cousins in the defensive zone, the Panthers tacked on another goal when Tkachuk set up Anton Lundell for a tap-in goal from the left side of the net with a perfect pass to make it 4-0 at 13:02.

At 15:24, Jake Guentzel got the Penguins on the board when he fired a shot into a pile of traffic and past Bobrovsky to trim Florida’s lead to 4-1. The Panthers challenged for goalie interference due to Bryan Rust’s skate limiting Bobrovsky’s movement, but the goal stuck.

On the ensuing penalty kill due to the failed challenge, the Panthers kept their three-goal cushion intact thanks in a large part to a big stop from Bobrovsky. After Rust fired a one-timer from the left circle, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner pinned the puck against the right post to keep it from going in.

In that moment, you could almost hear the "Bob-by! Bob-by!" chants from all the way back in Sunrise.

Finding the back of the net a second time, Lundell extended Florida’s lead when his shot went off of an opposing player’s skate and flew straight up in the air before landing behind Jarry and trickling across the goal line to make it 5-1 at 5:35 of the third period.

“We just play, give all we have and trust that it's going to get us the win,” Lundell said.

Getting that goal back quickly for the Penguins, John Ludvig, a former Panthers prospect who was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh in October, beat Bobrovsky with a shot from the right circle to make it 5-2 at 6:07 with his first-career NHL goal.

From there, the Panthers held on to pocket another big two points.

Perfect in Pittsburgh, Florida has killed off 37 of 39 penalties during its road winning streak.

“Our penalty kill has been such an important part of what we do,” Maurice said. “It’s the major improvement over all things from last season. Sergei certainly deserves a lot of credit for that. Our goaltending has been very good, but we’ve been very aggressive with lots of confidence.”

THEY SAID IT

“When you get a lead like that, it’s never easy to keep it. We did a good job being resilient and finding a way.” – Aaron Ekblad

“We’re just trying to build trust inside the team. That’s what’s going on right now. We’re getting more and more confident. We need to keep building on it.” – Anton Lundell

“The penalty kill has been strong. The guys worked hard again. Good sticks. We play fast. It was great.” – Sergei Bobrovsky

CATS STATS

- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 20^th three-point game as a member of the Panthers.

- Evan Rodrigues recorded the 200^th point of his NHL career.

- Florida has outscored the opposition 38-16 during its nine-game road win streak.

- The Panthers earned their league-leading 18^th road win of the season.

- Brandon Montour blocked a team-high four shots.

- Aaron Ekblad saw a team-high 5:11 of shorthanded ice time.

- Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 12 high-danger shots, per NaturalStatTrick.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?

No rest for these Cats!

With a chance to stretch their winning streak on the road to 10 games, the Panthers will wrap up their back-to-back with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.