Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Game #35 - vs Florida Panthers

Game 35
Panthers (15-16-0, 30 points) at Penguins (22-10-2, 46 points)

Why does it matter?
The Pens got back to their winning ways on Monday and are facing the last place team from the Southeast division. No problem, right? Not so fast - the Panthers are better than they appear and the Pens could be caught looking ahead to their game tomorrow against the Caps.

What has been happening lately?
  • Pens - A quick return to dominating hockey, complete with great goaltending and offensive firepower from the stars.
  • Panthers - They're suddenly red-hot, following up a 6-2 win over Buffalo with a 5-0 shutout of the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Questions to be answered
  • Can the Pens get to Vokoun? He has a great save % against them, if not a decent record.
  • Will we see Brent Johnson tonight given the Caps game tomorrow?
  • Can Florida be one of the few teams since the new overtime rules to get to the midpoint of the season without an overtime loss?
Keys to the game
  • Score three goals. Almost everyone who has done that against Florida has earned at least a point (15-2-2), and the Panthers have lost just once when allowing fewer than three.
  • Don't look ahead. Put the Caps game on the shelf in the back of the closet - you know, the dusty one that holds all the crap you don't remember or think about.
  • Lots of shots for Sid (and Geno). The Pens have a great record when Sid is shooting the puck.

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