Panthers struggle in Pittsburgh, conceding five goals as Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell led the Penguins' relentless offense to a weekend sweep of the Cats.
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their weekend back-to-back in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately for the Cats, the back-end of the weekend doubleheader didn’t go any better than the opener, as Florida fell again on Sunday by a final score of 5-2.
The Penguins picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came after a turnover off the stick of Florida’s goaltender.
Daniil Tarasov came up toward the slot to try and clear a loose puck, but a stick-check by Connor Dewar caused Tarasov to partially whiff on his clear. The puck then went straight toward Elmer Soderblom, who smartly one-timed the puck back toward the vacated net, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead exactly 11 minutes into the game.
Florida would get the equalizer at the 16:15 mark after a Gus Forsling keep at the Penguins blue line and a spinning pass by Vinnie Hinostroza led to a slot shot by Cole Schwindt for his fourth goal of the season.
The game didn’t stay tied for long, though.
Sidney Crosby netted his 29th of the year to put the Pens up 2-1, and then Rickard Rakell scored for the second day in a row to send Pittsburgh into the first intermission with a two-goal advantage.
That’s how the score would remain until late in the middle frame, with Rakell picked up his second of the night when a friendly bounce off the back boards gave him a high-danger look from the low slot, beating Tarasov over the glove.
Bryan Rust got in on the fun early in the third period, taking a pass from Crosby and going in along on Tarasov before firing a backhand that was stepped up Tarasov but still found a way to bounce into the net, making it 5-1 Penguins.
It wasn’t until late in the game, but Florida finally found a way to stop the bleeding thanks to a power play goal by Carter Verhaeghe with 5:45 to go.
Florida wouldn’t get any closer than that.
They depart Pittsburgh having been outscored 14-6 while visiting the Pens.
On to Montreal.
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Photo caption: Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)