The Penguins are back at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, and the setup is pretty simple — this is a game Pittsburgh would really like to have. Saturday’s matchup against the Panthers starts at 5 p.m. ET and will air on SportsNet Pittsburgh+, with streaming available on SNP 360.

Pittsburgh comes in after a 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday, but the bigger picture is still favorable. The Penguins remained three points ahead of the Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division, which means they still control a lot of their own destiny heading into a weekend back-to-back against Florida.

Three things to watch in Penguins vs. Panthers

1. What this means for the playoff race
This is the biggest storyline, full stop. Pittsburgh sits in the No. 2 spot in the Metro heading into the weekend, which would line the Penguins up with the Islanders in a first-round series if the playoffs started immediately. That’s a nice place to be, but it is not comfortable enough to coast. A win Saturday would help Pittsburgh protect that division spot instead of getting dragged into a messier race.

2. Can Sidney Crosby’s line keep driving the offense?
The projected top line of Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust looks like Pittsburgh’s best path to controlling this game. Chinakhov scored twice against Tampa Bay, and Rakell — skating on another scoring line — has been hot too, extending his goal streak to three games and posting nine points over a six-game streak. Florida is still dangerous, but the Panthers are also dealing with a long injury list that includes Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, so this is a game where Pittsburgh’s top-end skill has to matter.

3. A cleaner defensive game against a still-annoying Florida group
Even with all the injuries, Florida is not exactly a fun team to play. The projected Panthers lineup still features Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe, with Sergei Bobrovsky expected in goal. Pittsburgh did not defend well enough against Tampa on Thursday, especially when the Lightning started creating time and space through the middle of the ice. Saturday is a good test of whether the Penguins can tighten things up, limit chaos in front of their own net and avoid turning this into another track meet.

Why this one feels important right now

There is also a little bigger-picture value here because this is not just one game against Florida — it is the start of a weekend back-to-back against the same opponent. A strong effort Saturday can set the tone for the entire mini-series and give Pittsburgh a chance to stack points at exactly the right time.

Let Crosby’s line dictate play, get another sharp game from the secondary scorers, and be much harder to play against defensively than they were in Tampa. If they do that, this is the kind of April game that can help Pittsburgh look a lot more secure in the playoff picture by the end of the night.