Panthers aim to continue strong run, face struggling Penguins

The Florida Panthers, who visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, are making a serious run at the Eastern Conference title. The Panthers have won two in a row and six of their past seven games.

Last season, Florida barely slipped into the playoffs but then made it to the Stanley Cup Final. There seems to be a push for a higher seeding this time around.

The Panthers are coming off a 4-0 pasting of one of the top teams in the West, the Colorado Avalanche, a win Saturday that left Florida feeling good about its response to different game situations.

"I think what was impressive was that at the end it was 4-0 and we were still making the right plays," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. "We didn't try to score the fifth goal. We didn't try to cheat or anything."

Florida coach Paul Maurice said that's just one aspect that he has liked about his team lately.

"I thought our last two games in the second in the third period we did not come off the puck. We didn't sit on it," Maurice said. "We made smart decisions."

In Saturday's win, Barkov had three points, including his first goal since Dec. 16. He has been racking up assists, but it probably says something that the Panthers have been getting plenty of scoring even when one player known for offense went quiet.

Barkov ranks fourth on the team with 51 points, 13 behind Sam Reinhart, who leads Florida and sits among the league leaders.

"It doesn't matter who scores the goals as long as we win and as long as we play the right way," Barkov said.

While the Panthers are surging, the Penguins are searching.

Pittsburgh just can't seem to get things going consistently, and missing the playoffs for the second straight spring is a growing possibility.

The Penguins are coming off a weekend with back-to-back losses at Minnesota and Winnipeg, both by a one-goal margin. Pittsburgh totaled just three goals and its power play was a combined 1-for-9.

Pinpointing the team's biggest problem hasn't been easy.

"I think it's been different things," Penguins captain and leading scorer Sidney Crosby said. "I don't think it's a lack of effort. It's a bounce. It's a play. Special teams are always big.

"So I don't really know specifically ... but I think it's a detail. It's a play here or there. We're right there, and if we can get those plays, then we'll get some points here."

Offense was predicted to be a strong suit for Pittsburgh, but at 2.90 goals per game the team ranks in the bottom eight in the NHL.

One thing that has remained strong is the Penguins' resolve, and their belief in each other. Bryan Rust indicated that Pittsburgh is far from having a fractured locker room.

"To get to this level, you have to have a certain level of self-awareness — knowing what you bring, knowing if you're doing it well," Rust told Pittsburgh Hockey Now. "When things aren't going well, I think the vast majority of players, especially in this room, would look in a mirror before they'd look anywhere else."

—Field Level Media