The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to extend their winning streak to three when they host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
The team has been suffering from the concussion and short-term memory loss of reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin. Fortunately, the superstar seems to be coming around, according to Coach Dan Bylsma. "He's feeling fine and his memory is returning," Bylsma said.
In Malkin's absence Captain Sidney Crosby put up a stunning three-point night against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5-3 win. He scored two goals in the first eight minutes of the game and tacked on a helper on Pittsburgh's eventual game winner in the second period. "As long as we win, we get two points, everybody's happy," said Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. "The team's been playing great in front, so it's a big help."
Meanwhile the Florida Panthers are coming off a devastating 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, their sixth in their last seven games. 23-year old netminder Jacob Markstrom made his second start of the season and made 28 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort. The highlight of the game was a spin-o-rama goal from 6'9'' Zdeno Chara that has been lauded as one of the best goals of the young season. "What can I say? It's a good hockey play and a good shot," Markstrom said. "I didn't think he was going to score, but he did. That's a good goal."
This is the second match of the season; the Penguins defeated Florida 3-1 on Feb. 22, but lost Malkin in that match. Both teams are looking for some sort of payback in this game. The Penguins likely want to get even for the loss of their superstar while the Panthers want to avenge the loss.
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: ROOT, FS-F