Still without Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins top Florida Panthers 4-2 -NHL Update
Pittsburgh Penguins might not have gotten back their two star players, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but that did not stop them from winning against Florida Panthers, 4-2, on Tuesday, October 11, at the sold-out Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
United States.
Sidney Crosby’s status might not be clear at the moment since he is still undergoing various tests by the teams’ medical staff, but Evgeni Malkin, who made his comeback during the preseason and opening games of the regular after a season ending knee injury
last year, has gone out again with an unconfirmed lower body injury.
Pittsburgh’s main goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, knows that having them on the team would be limitless for them in terms of winning, but since they are not here, adapting to the situation is something the team will have to do.
"I think we got a little confidence from last year knowing we can win without them", Fleury said. "We want them to come back as soon as possible, and it would be great to have them with us. But we've got to find ways to hold together, contribute and get
some wins".
Since it was their first home game of the new 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, Penguins were sure to play harder than ever before.
Pascal Dupuis stepped up and scored the inaugural goal of the game with 5:03 remaining in the first period. Florida gave off two penalties but managed to kill both.
Matt Cooke extended the league a little over midway through the second while Marcel Goc put Florida Panthers on the scoreboard less than a minute later.
Penguins’ Richard Park potted a shorthanded goal as Matt Cooke was booked for interference, ending the second period, 3-1.
Tomas Fleischmann put Florida within reach by scoring at the 3:16 mark of the final period but it was Pittsburgh’s James Neal who scored his second of the season and secured the matchup.
"I thought we had some chances throughout the game and had some jump", Panthers defenseman, Brian Campbell, said. "I thought we had something going on, but it's never easy giving up a shorthanded goal. It's another mistake that we make, and it ends up costing
us".
Florida Panthers will be playing their season home opener against Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, October 15, while Pittsburgh Penguins play Washington Capitals on Thursday.
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