Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the unbeaten Pittsburgh Penguins (3-0-0) and Florida Panthers (1-3-0) hit the ice live at the BB&T Center in Florida. The game can be live streamed here. Pittsburgh fans can hear all of the rink-side action by adjusting their radios to 105.9 WXDX-FM while Florida fans can do the same by turning their dials to 560 WQAM.
The Penguins have yet to lose and should be fresh coming off of two days of rest after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday, while the Panthers come to Florida for their home opener after opening the season with a four game road streak that saw the team earn just two points out of a possible eight.
With back-to-back games against the Panthers tonight and then the Lightning Saturday, rookie goaltender Jeff Zatkoff may get to play in his first NHL game one of these next two nights to give incumbent goalie Marc-Andre Fleury a rest.
"I think he's a good goalie," captain Sidney Crosby told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before the team left for Florida on Thursday. "You don't want to leave him hung out to dry or anything, but honestly, I don't think we need to change the way we're playing when he gets in there. He's been good. He looks calm."
Fleury has posted a dazzling 3-0-0 record through the team's first three games and has allowed just three goals while stopping 79 of 82 shots against him. Zatkoff is on the roster because Tomas Vokoun had to undergo surgery on a blood clot.
Crosby, a Hart Trophy finalist in 2012 after scoring 15 goals and 41 assists for 56 points in last year's shortened season, leads the Penguins with four points on two goals and two assists while Jussi Jokinen paces the team with three goals after netting a hat trick against Carolina Tuesday.
The Panthers are coming off of a rough road trip where it allowed seven goals in two separate games out of the four on the swing, and they are not happy with the way they've played so far.
"We didn't respond well to pressure," head coach Kevin Dineen told NHL.com after the loss to Tampa Bay. "When they pressured our players, instead of responding to that, understanding that it was coming, I think it created turmoil for us."
Jacob Markstrom will most likely be in net for the Panthers as Tim Thomas nurses a groin injury. Markstrom has allowed eight goals in three games while stopping 47 of the 55 shots he's faced.
Brian Campbell leads Florida in points with four--all on assists, while Brad Boyes has two goals in the last two games.
Pittsburgh will look to stay undefeated to start the season while Florida hopes that a homecoming will be just what it needs to put a forgetful road trip behind it when the lights come on at the BB&T Center tonight.
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