The back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will not be defending their crown. Suffering through an incredibly injury-plagued campaign, Florida lost 9-4 to the host Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon, all but officially eliminating the Cats from playoff contention. A Columbus Blue Jackets win later tonight will make it officially official. It didn’t take long for the Penguins to get the fun started for their fans. Just 40 seconds into the game, former Panther Noel Acciarl picked up his own rebound and shoveled a backhand that floated over Sergei Bobrovsky and dropped right behind him in the net. Less than five minutes later, Pittsburgh took advantage after Mike Benning took a boarding penalty on Bryan Rust that led to Erik Karlsson blasting a one-timer past Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Penguins a quick 2-0 lead. The Panthers were quick to answer back. Cole Reinhardt entered the Pittsburgh zone and sent a long wrist shot toward the net that was stopped by Arturs Silovs, but A.J. Greer was right there to slap a backhand into the net to cut the Penguins lead in half at the 7:10 mark. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones tied the game with 6:29 left in the first period, blasting a slapshot that deflected off Rickard Rakell before beating Silovs inside the far post. Once the second period arrived, the home team took the game over. Anthony Mantha got things started 1:51 into the middle, but it was exactly four minutes after that when the Penguins really shifted into gear. Pittsburgh scored three goals within a span of 4:02, including a pair by Evgeni Malkin and Elmer Soderblom’s sixth tally of the season, to give the Pens a 6-2 lead and chase Bobrovsky from the net. Bob finished with 13 saves on 19 shots in 29:53 of game time, including stops on six of the nine high-danger shots sent his way by Pittsburgh, according to Natural Stat Trick. Late in the middle frame, a pair of Penguins goals just 19 seconds apart by Rakell and Ryan Shea send the Panthers into the second intermission trailing six. Malkin completed his hat truck 3:30 into the third period, stealing the puck from Mike Benning and beating Tarasov with a nice backhand-forehand move. The goal ballooned the Pens’ lead to 9-2. A pretty cost-to-cost-type goal by Noah Gregor and an odd-man rush tally by Mackie Samoskevioch brought the Panthers back within four, but that would be as close as they’d get. For Samoskevich, he has now scored in four straight games, the longest such stretch of his young career. On to…Pittsburgh, again. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers Kick Off Final Road Trip With Back-To-Back In Pittsburgh [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-kick-off-final-road-trip-with-back-to-back-in-pittsburgh] The Hockey Show: Panthers Finally Start Winning, Big Moves In Toronto And Vegas, Seattle Hockey Talk With Alison Lukan [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-panthers-finally-start-winning-big-moves-in-toronto-and-vegas-seattle-hockey-talk-with-alison-lukan] Bobrovsky Backstops Panthers In 2-1 Victory Over Boston [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/bobrovsky-backstops-panthers-in-2-1-victory-over-boston] Cole Schwindt Returns To Practice In Full Contact; Expected To Be In Panthers Lineup Against Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/cole-schwindt-returns-to-practice-in-full-contact-expected-to-be-in-panthers-lineup-against-penguins] Donovan Sebrango Avoids Injury; Will Play Tonight When The Panthers Host The Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/donovan-sebrango-avoids-injury-will-play-tonight-when-the-panthers-host-the-bruins] Photo caption: Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) controls the puck in front of the Florida Panthers net during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
