Apr 11, 2013; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets forward Chris Thorburn (22) tips the puck past Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) off a shot from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ron Hainsey (not pictured) during the third period at the MTS Center. Winnipeg wins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Penguins 31-10-0 (62 pts) at Florida Panthers 13-21-6 (32 pts)

The Florida Panthers’ dismal season is nearing its end. The Panthers play their third to last home game tonight against the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins. Surprisingly the Panthers have a chance to take the season series from the Penguins as the teams split their two prior match ups. For the last place Panthers, taking two out of three against arguably the best team in the NHL would be a momentous victory, one that would provide a much needed confidence boost for a team that otherwise has little to play for.

The Penguins however will not be an easy foe to take down. Playing without Sidney Crosby, James Neal and Paul Martin, the Penguins have managed to win three games in a row and have gone 8-2 in their last ten. The Penguins have already clinched the Atlantic Division title but are still playing for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. They are currently five points ahead of the second place Montreal Canadiens although the Canadiens do have one game in hand.

The Panthers and Penguins have met twice so far this season with each team winning on their home ice. The Penguins beat Florida 3-1 on February 22nd in Jacob Markstrom‘s season debut. Markstrom held his own against a steady barrage of shots from the Penguins stopping 37 of 40. Florida avenged the loss shortly after when they upset the Penguins 6-4 on February 26th in South Florida. Tomas Kopecky led the way in that game logging the first hat trick of his career. The Panthers scored four goals on the power play in the victory and they will need to continue that man advantage prowess tonight if they are to steal another victory.

Missing their star Crosby, the Penguins have had to turn to others to bear the scoring load. One of the players who has stepped up has been Pascal Dupuis. During his current four game point streak, Dupuis has tallied eight points on three goals and five assists. The Pens’ trade deadline acquisitions have also been affective since their arrival. Former Carolina Hurricane Jussi Jokinen has three goals and two assists in his three games with the Penguins while big time acquisition Jarome Iginla has scored one goal and three assists in his six games with the Penguins since coming over from the Calgary Flames.

For the Panthers,  veteran Tomas Fleischmann has led the way on a team comprised of many young players with little NHL experience. Flash currently has a seven game point streak during which he has logged 3 goals and 5 assists. His 28 points lead the Panthers for the season.

Tonight’s game will be a good test for the Panthers. Florida had been playing well before falling 7-2 to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Special teams will play a key role in the matchup tonight as the Penguins’ second ranked power play will looked to exploit the Panther penalty kill which ranks dead last in the NHL.

Enjoy the game tonight and keep an eye on the Rat Trick as the season comes to a close. As always, don’t forget to follow us on twitter @fansidedtherat.

Feb 26, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Florida Panthers center Tomas Kopecky (82) as Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (41) and defenseman Kris Letang (58) defend in the second period at the BB

The Florida Panthers bucked some troublesome trends en route to a rousing 6-4 victory over the tough-to-beat Pittsburgh Penguins. Before tonight, the Panthers were 2-8 in their last ten games against the Penguins. Florida had also struggled on the power play scoring only once in their last 24 opportunities and going 0-17 at home. The Panthers’ power play broke out in a big way tonight converting four opportunities into goals. The win was also the teams first home win since Jan 31st breaking a five game home losing streak.

This was a good game if you liked offense and special teams. Not a good game if you are a fan of goaltending or penalty free hockey. Both teams had to turn to their backup goaltenders as Tomas Vokoun was pulled midway through the second after allowing four goals on 22 shots. Jose Theodore got the hook for the Panthers after allowing his fourth goal while only facing 19 shots. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 12 of 13 in relief for the Penguins while Scott Clemmensen stopped all fifteen shots he face filling in for Theodore. The Panthers outshot the Penguins 36-34 much better than in the teams’ meeting in Pittsburgh on friday where the Panthers were out shot 40-23.

Tomas Kopecky led the way for the Panthers registering his first career hat trick. Kopecky now has eight goals on the season, only two off his total for last season in 80 games. Kopecky’s first goals were very Koepckian, i.e. they came from grinding away in front of the net, while his third came with the Penguins goalie pulled and served to ice the game for the Panthers.

Kopecky’s presence in front of the net seemed get to ex-Panther goalie Tomas Vokoun who took a cheap shot at Kopecky after he had scored his second goal of the game. After Kopecky put away the goal, he was cross checked from behind by Craig Adams. While on the ground Vokoun took a shot at Kopecky. Kopecky in turn jumped up and began swinging at Vokoun which set off an all around melee with everyone getting involved. Kopecky got four minutes of penalties from the scrum while Vokoun received two minutes for roughing. Overall there were 32 PIM combined between the two teams.

Tomas Fleischmann (man it was a busy night for guys named Tomas huh?) scored the eventual game winner with a nasty wrist shot from the face off dot that he slotted past Fleury. The goal was Flash’s fifth of the season and 100th of his career. Marcel Goc and Brian Campbell scored the other two goals for the Panthers. Campbell, Kulikov and Fleischmann all recorded two assists while Shore, Kopecky Smithson Goc and Gudbranson each logged one assist.

The win brought the Panther’s record to 6-9-4 with 16 points. They are currently three points off the Southeast division lead as well as three points from the 8th and final playoff spot. Florida plays home against the Sabres Thursday then plays a road/home back to back against the Hurricanes Saturday and Sunday.

Feb 24, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau (11) in position in front of Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) in the third period at the BB

Pittsburgh Penguins (13-6-0) at Florida Panthers (5-9-4)

Tonight in Florida, the Panthers have the opportunity to avenge Friday’s 3-1 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In order to do this, the Panthers will have to beat a strong Penguins team that has won five of their last six. The Panthers will be facing a familiar foe as Penguins backup goaltender Tomas Vokoun will get the start tonight. Vokoun played four years with the Panthers before spending last season with the Washington Capitals. In his first year for the Penguins, Vokoun has played in seven games accumulating three wins and a S% of .899.

The Penguins will be without Evgani Malkin after he was diagnosed with a concussion following a hit he took from Panther Erik Gudbranson in Friday’s game. In that game, the Panthers were thoroughly dominated getting outshot 40-23. The strong play of Jacob Markstrom kept the game close but Markstrom has since been returned to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.  Jose Theodore is expected to make the start tonight for the Panthers, his first start since a 3-0 loss to the Maple Leafs Feb. 18th.

Florida would love to get a win tonight in front of their home fans. The Panthers are in the midst of a five game losing streak in which they have gone 0-2-3. Florida’s last home win came Jan. 31, 6-3 over the Jets. If the Panthers are going to get a win tonight whey will have to do so with an injury shortened lineup. Stephen Weiss will be out of the lineup as he flew to Toronto for his grandmother’s funeral. Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall and Sean Bergenheim all remain out with injuries. Also, Alex Kovalev is not expected to play tonight. On the defensive end, Filip Kuba and Ed Jovanovski will both be out. Colby Robak will get another game, filling in for Filip Kuba, meanwhile Scott Timmins was called up to fill the roster spot vacated by Stephen Weiss. The 23 year old Timmins has 9 goals and 7 assists in his 47 games played for the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL.

Here is the Panthers projected lineup as per NHL.com

Jonathan Huberdeau - Drew Shore - Peter Mueller

Tomas Fleischmann - Marcel Goc - Mike Santorelli

Shawn Matthias - Scott Timmins - Tomas Kopecky

Jack Skille - Jerred Smithson - George Parros

Brian Campbell - Mike Weaver

Dmitry Kulikov - Erik Gudbranson

Colby Robak - Tyson Strachan

Jose Theodore