PITTSBURGH \u2013 The Florida Panthers will kick off their final road trip of the season when they open a back-to-back with the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
A double dip in the Steel City, the Panthers will face the Penguins again on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where we are right now,\u201d forward Tomas Nosek said of the standings. \u201cWhen you get a win, it\u2019s always better. You don\u2019t want to lose. It weighs on you and it\u2019s not fun when you\u2019re losing. When you\u2019re winning, it\u2019s always better and you have more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with half their roster sidelined by injuries, the Panthers (37-35-3) are still having fun.<\/p>\n
After cruising to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the defending Stanley Cup champions held on for a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins in their last outing on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Bennett scored in the win, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves \u2013 including 15 in the third period \u2013 to keep Boston’s offense at bay.<\/p>\n
Over his last seven games, Bobrovsky boasts a 5-2-0 record with a .922 save percentage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m living the dream,\u201d the two-time Vezina Trophy winner said after beating the Bruins. \u201cI play in the NHL. I\u2019m starting goalie for the Florida Panthers, two-time Stanley Cup champions. I\u2019m enjoying it. I enjoy each and every moment. I enjoy being here and trying to remind myself that this is it. This is my time, and I\u2019m trying to take everything out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heating up heading into today\u2019s battle with the Penguins, Samoskevich, who won\u2019t turn 24 years old until next season, has found the back of the net in each of the last three games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been playing well enough to score, and for whatever reason they haven\u2019t been going in,\u201d said Samoskevich, who\u2019s sitting on nine goals through 70 games this season. \u201cThe difference is that they\u2019re going in now, so just keep doing the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Panthers have already ruled out a laundry list of players for the rest of the season, Cole Scwhindt could return to action as early as today\u2019s game in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
Out since Feb. 26, the 6-foot-3 pivot has scored three goals in 22 games this season.<\/p>\n
With no skate this morning, Schwindt\u2019s status \u2013 as well as today\u2019s starting goaltender \u2013 should be known when head coach Paul Maurice addresses the media closer to puck drop.<\/p>\n
Sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins (38-22-16) suffered a 6-3 loss at Tampa Bay in their last tilt on Thursday. Rickard Rakell and Egor Chinakhov each lit the lamp against the Lightning, which was fueled to victory by a hat trick from Anthony Cirelli.<\/p>\n
Just as it has been for the last two decades, Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 67 points (28G, 39A). Not far behind, Bryan Rust has logged 62 points (27G, 35A), while a resurgent Erik Karlsson ranks first among the team\u2019s defensemen with 60 points (13G, 47A).<\/p>\n
In his first season with Pittsburgh, Anthony Mantha has scored a team-high 30 goals.<\/p>\n
In the crease, Stuart Skinner, who the Panthers know very well from their two unforgettable battles in the Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers, has gone 11-8-5 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage since being traded to the Penguins.<\/p>\n
Also seeing ample time in Pittsburgh\u2019s net, Arturs Silovs has posted a 17-10-8 record with a 2.99 goals-against average, a .891 save percentage and two shutouts.<\/p>\n
At the time of this writing, the Penguins have yet to announce a starter.<\/p>\n
In their previous meeting this season, the Panthers suffered a 5-3 loss to the Penguins on Oct. 23 at Amerant Bank Arena. Crosby led the charge up front for the Penguins in the win, taking home first-star honors with two goals and an assist.<\/p>\n
THEY SAID IT<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were great. They played smart. They played within the structure. I think they\u2019re getting better. They\u2019re getting used to our structure. It was a fun game.\u201d \u2013 Sergei Bobrovsky on Florida\u2019s young defensemen after the win over Boston<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came out right the last two games. Ready to play, excited to play. The bench was energetic. They\u2019re not just going through the motions. They played hard. We deserved to win the game, especially when you look at the adversity we faced coming in.\u201d \u2013 Paul Maurice on the win over the Bruins<\/p>\n
FIVE CATS STATS<\/p>\n
– Sergei Bobrovsky is three wins away from tying Henrik Lundqvist (459) for sixth most in NHL history.<\/p>\n
– Sam Bennett is riding a three-game point streak in which he\u2019s tallied four points (1G, 3A).<\/p>\n
– A.J. Greer has recorded at least one point in four of his last five games.<\/p>\n
– Matthew Tkachuk has posted 13 points (5G, 8A) in 13 games against Pittsburgh since joining the Panthers.<\/p>\n
– The Panthers are 18-5-1 when leading after the first period.<\/p>\n
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)<\/p>\n
Check back closer to puck drop.<\/p>\n
RECENT TRANSACTIONS<\/p>\n
– April 1: D Tobias Bjornfot and D Mikulas Hovorka recalled from Charlotte (AHL)<\/p>\n
– March 24: F Noah Gregor recalled from Charlotte (AHL)<\/p>\n
HOW TO WATCH\/LISTEN<\/p>\n
When:\u00a0Saturday, April 4 at 5 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0PPG Paints Arena \u2013 Pittsburgh, PA<\/p>\n
TV & Streaming:\u00a0WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV<\/p>\n
Radio:\u00a0560 WQAM-AM (Dade\/Broward); 100.3 WCTH-FM (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR-FM (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931<\/p>\n