Game 60 Preview: Penguins Host Panthers

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Feb 19, 10:08 AM | Hype this story!
W L OTL Pts.
0 2 0 0
 
Pts. W L OTL
4 2 0 0

7:30 @ Mellon Arena
FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Florida
 
Inside The Game
Twenty-three games remain for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and in order to make the playoffs, it looks as though they will need 21 points.  Tonight’s a good night to put a two-point dent in that figure, as they will play host to a struggling and injury-depleted Florida Panthers team.

The Panthers, who sit 11 points behind the Penguins in the Eastern Conference standings, appear to be all-but eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they will roll over and play dead.  It has been mentioned time and again both here and elsewhere, that the Penguins have struggled mightily in the past when playing Southeast Division teams.  This year, though, they’ve faired much better, winning both of their games against the Panthers.

Possibly the most hyped aspect of tonight’s game is that forward Evgeni Malkin could claim the scoring lead.  With just one point separating him and Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin, and with Malkin’s torrent scoring pace since Sidney Crosby suffered an ankle sprain, odds are that Malkin will at least tie Ovechkin, who has the night off.

"I wouldn’t be too shocked [if Malkin passes Ovechkin]," left winger Maxime Talbot said yesterday to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

A win tonight would put the Penguins back into a first place Altantic Division tie with the New Jersey Devils, a pretty impressive feat, considering Crosby has missed the previous 13 games.

Ty Conklin is expected to start in goal for the Penguins, while Tomas Vokoun likely will man the pipes for the Panthers.
 
Standings
  GP W L OT Pts Division Conference League
Penguins 59 33 21 5 71 2, Atlantic 5, Eastern 8, NHL
Panthers 61 27 28 6 60 4, Southeast 13, Eastern 26, NHL
                 
Team Statistics
  GF GA PP% PK% Home Away L 10 Streak
Penguins 174 159 21.0 80.2 17-10-3 16-11-2 6-3-1 1 win
Panthers 167 175 20.1 80.9 12-12-5 15-16-1 5-4-1 1 loss
                 
Team Leaders
  Stat Penguins   Stat Panthers
Goals 34 Malkin Goals 29 Jokinen
Assists 43 Malkin Assists 30 Jokinen
Points 77 Malkin Points 59 Jokinen
PIMs 102 Laraque PIMs 71 Salei
Wins 15 Conklin Wins 25 Vokoun
 
Injuries
Penguins Injury Panthers Injury
Beech, IR
Hall, IR
Crosby, IR
Roberts, IR
Eaton, IR		 Broken Right Wrist
Strained Groin
High Ankle Sprain
Broken Left Leg
Torn ACL		 Weiss, DTD
Zednik, IR
Dvorak, IR
Stumpel, IR
Murray, IR
Van Ryn, IR
Welch, IR		 Broken Finger
Neck Laceration
Broken Fingers
Separated Shoulder
Right Shoulder Surgery
Right Wrist
Shoulder Surgery
       
Note: Info up-to-date as of 10:00 am, Tuesday, February 19, 2008.

Comments

  1. DaBich

    Feb 19, 10:36 AM

    I’m so pumped for this game!
    What’s the update on the injuries? Crosby and Roberts should be back soon, right?

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    Feb 19, 11:38 AM

    Crosby is apparently still on his 6-8 week timeline, which would mean a minimum of a week and a half until he returns. He says his ankle still bothers him and that his big issue right now is stopping. My guess would be a weekend return at the very earliest, though my gut is that he’ll stick to his original timeline.

    Roberts still hasn’t even started practicing with the team to my knowledge. He’s skating on his own right now, but one would think that, once he begins practicing with the team, he’ll still have at least a week to two weeks before hitting the ice in a game.

    So, realistically, I would predict both players return after next week’s trade deadline.

  3. Ashley Gallant

    Feb 19, 12:15 PM

    What a nice trade deadline acquisition that will be, eh?

  4. DaBich

    Feb 19, 12:43 PM

    Thanks Matt, I’m just impatient!

    Ashley, for sure! Eh! ;)

    BTW, I’m working on my top 10 hotties list ;)

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