Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues is off to a great start with the Florida Panthers this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to play the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Thursday night, and a familiar face is off to a great start this season.
Evan Rodrigues, who played with the Penguins for a little over two seasons, has found a nice home with the Panthers these last few seasons. He helped them win their first of back-to-back Stanley Cups during the 2023-24 season, finishing with 12 goals and 39 points in 80 games. He then helped them win their second-straight cup last year, compiling 15 goals and 32 points in 82 games.
Rodrigues had 30 combined playoff points between those two Stanley Cup runs and is off to a strong start this season, registering two goals and four points in the Panthers' first eight games. He's been a big reason why the Panthers have won four games to open the year.
They continue to deal with tough injuries, as star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are both out.
Barkov is set to miss the entire regular season (and potentially the playoffs), while Tkachuk is set to be out until December or January. Rodrigues is centering the third line and has Mackie Samoskevich and Jesper Boqvist as his wingers. It will be a line to watch out for when the Penguins and Panthers play one another on Thursday.
Rodrigues set his career high in goals with the Penguins during the 21-22 season with 19, and it'll be fascinating to see if he can break it this season.
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