Penguins prepare to face two-time defending Stanley Cup champions

SUNRISE, Fl. — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

There appears to be little reason for Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-0) coach Dan Muse to tinker with his lineup. The Penguins have won three in a row and will face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers (4-4-0) at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Penguins shook off a messy start against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. Conor Garland scored on Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs on the first shot of the game, but Silovs stopped every shot afterward and the Penguins exploded for three goals in 3:08 late in the second period for a 5-1 win at PPG Paints Arena.

Connor Dewar, Tommy Novak, Sidney Crosby, Anthony Mantha, and Justin Brazeau scored for the Penguins. The game also marked a pair of Penguins historical moments as Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux for the most all-time points (1896) when combining playoffs and the regular season.

Florida is coming off an emotional game in Boston Tuesday. It was Brad Marchand’s return to Boston, his first since Boston traded him near the deadline last March. The Boston crowd gave Marchand, the former Bruins captain, over a minute-long standing ovation, and continued cheering after that.

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