The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the strongest teams in the NHL this season and the team is expected to continue its strong play against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in South Beach.
The team is in line to get the best record in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs and they shouldn't have much trouble against the last place Panthers, despite the fact that Sidney Crosby is out of action. The Penguins are on the verge of a four game winning streak and are undefeated on their current road trip after a 6-3 win against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
The Penguins are 31-10-0 this season and the team is dealing with a number of injuries, including to Paul Martin and James Neal, but the team has been scoring in bunches despite the losses, including 11 over the past two contests. The team has a strong five point lead over Montreal in the standings and the additions of Jarome Iginla and Brendan Morrow have been a boost for the team.
Pascal Dupis has taken charge in scoring with Crosby out of action, scoring a goal and two assists on Thursday and scoring six goals and 11 points total in his past 13 games against the Panthers. Florida should be much of an opponent for the Penguins, as they have the least amount of points in the league and are just 13-21-6 and were on a solid streak of four wins in five games before losing 7-2 on Thursday by the Jets.
The Penguins are ranked first in the NHL in scoring and are second in power play percentage despite being ranked 25th in penalty kill percentage. The team is 10th in goals against with just 2.5 and the Panthers are in the bottom of the NHL in goals, power play percentage and penalty kill percentage. The team ranks sixth in the NHL in power play percentage with 21.3 and would like to try to end the season on a high note.
