Venue: PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Broadcast: Sportsnet Pittsburgh / ESPN+
This is the second meeting of the season between the two clubs. Pittsburgh won the previous matchup 5–3, led by a Sidney Crosby two‑goal performance.
Injury Report
Florida Panthers
Florida is dealing with one of the most severe injury lists in the NHL, with multiple core players out for the season:
Cole Schwindt — out (lower body)
Brad Marchand — out (lower body)
Dmitry Kulikov — out (nose)
Evan Rodrigues — out for season (finger)
Sam Reinhart — out for season (foot)
Niko Mikkola — out for season (knee)
Anton Lundell — out for season (upper body)
Uvis Balinskis — out for season (foot)
Aaron Ekblad — out for season (finger)
Jonah Gadjovich — out for season (upper body)
Aleksander Barkov — out for season (knee)
Pittsburgh Penguins
Filip Hallander — out (leg)
Blake Lizotte — out (upper body)
Caleb Jones — out for season (lower body)
Recent Team Form
Pittsburgh Penguins — Last 10 Games
5‑4‑1, averaging 4.1 goals per game
Allowing 3.7 goals per game
Rickard Rakell: 8 goals, 5 assists in last 10
Florida Panthers — Last 10 Games
4‑6‑0, averaging 2.6 goals per game
Allowing 3.3 goals per game
Matthew Tkachuk: 5 goals, 6 assists in last 10
Key Player Matchups
Bryan Rust (PIT) vs. Carter Verhaeghe (FLA)
Rust: 27 G, 35 A — Pittsburgh’s most consistent scorer.
Verhaeghe: 23 G, 30 A — Florida’s top healthy offensive weapon.
Matthew Tkachuk (FLA) vs. Erik Karlsson (PIT)
Tkachuk leads Florida’s recent scoring surge.
Karlsson has 5 points in his last 5 games, driving Pittsburgh’s transition game.
Goaltending: Tarasov (FLA) vs. Skinner/Silovs (PIT)
Daniil Tarasov (FLA): 9‑13‑2, 3.01 GAA, .899 SV%
Stuart Skinner (PIT): 21‑14‑9, 2.88 GAA, .889 SV%
Arturs Silovs (PIT): 16‑10‑8, 2.99 GAA, .891 SV%
Series History
Previous meeting: Penguins won 5–3, with Sidney Crosby scoring twice.
Pittsburgh is 38‑6‑9 when scoring at least three goals, a key indicator for this matchup.
Betting Trends
Pittsburgh Penguins
5–4–1 in last 10
18–12–8 at home
Score 4.1 goals per game recently
Strong record when scoring 3+ goals (38‑6‑9)
Florida Panthers
4–6–0 in last 10
16–20–0 on the road
Severe injury losses impacting depth
Averaging only 2.6 goals per game recently
Game Odds
Florida Panthers 6.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 205
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, April 3, 2026
