Evgeni Malkin is proving the doubters wrong this season, but Rob Rossi his decision to return boiled down to a loyalty to the Penguins and captain Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins turned their attention from the trade deadline to the first game of the final stretch of the season as they took on the Florida Panthers. Both the Penguins and Panthers are a pair of the teams locked in the heated race for the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference and both don’t have much room for error. In a last minute change of plans in net, Casey DeSmith was given the start in place of the ill Tristan Jarry. With DeSmith in net, the Penguins looked to extend their winning streak to five games. After the majority of an uneventful first period, it was the Panthers that potted the first goal in the closing minute of the frame. The Penguins failed to take advantage of a power play opportunity and only recorded three shots on goal the entire period. The Panther added to their lead early in the second when the Penguins penalty kill looked about as poor as the power play. A goal from Aaron Ekblad came after the Penguins failed to exit their zone for the first 90 seconds of the kill. The Penguins power play has been pretty bad on the road since December, but the Panthers gifted them a 5-on-3 opportunity and Kris Letang made sure to capitalize. Letang picked up the Penguins’ first goal with the two-man advantage and closed in on the Panthers’ lead. The energy, and special teams play picked up through the rest of the second period and the Panthers re-gained their two-goal lead with another goal in the final minute of the frame. The Panthers didn’t let up and pushed their lead to three as the game slowly descended into a scrappy affair. Penalties were handed out left and right to both teams as the total penalties in minutes exceeded 40 minutes late in the contest. The Panthers closed out their win by a score of 4-1 and ended the Penguins winning streak at four games. The Penguins have a couple of days off and get set to begin a five-game home stand throught early March. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Penguins Acquiring Mikael Granlund was Multiple Years in the Making [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-acquiring-mikael-granlund-years-making] Ron Hextall Believes Penguins are Stanley Cup Contenders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/ron-hextall-believes-pittsburgh-penguins-stanley-cup-contenders] Penguins Recall Drew O'Connor from AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-recall-drew-oconnor-ahl] Penguins Discussions for J.T. Miller Likely to Return During Offseason [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-discussions-jt-miller-return-offseason] Flavall's Five Thoughts: Penguins Post Deadline [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/flavells-five-thoughts-pittsburgh-penguins-post-deadline] * undefined * undefined
