Penguins Come Home Desperate as Panthers Roll In Without Markstrom

Pittsburgh creates enough chances to win hockey games. The problem is what it gives back. Over its last 10 games, the Penguins have generated 3.44 expected goals per night, a measure of how many goals their chances were worth, more than Florida's 3.2. But Pittsburgh has allowed chances worth 3.71 a game, while the Panthers have kept opponents to 2.88. That gap at the defensive end is the whole story of a 3-6-1 start.

The Panthers also attempt far more shots than the Penguins over that stretch, averaging 63.7 attempts per game to Pittsburgh's 57.8.

Florida (5-3-2, 12 points) holds the first wild-card spot but arrives off a 5-1 loss in Ottawa. With Jacob Markstrom reportedly out, Akira Schmid is expected to carry the net.

Pittsburgh (7 points, ninth in the wild-card race) has lost four straight, but it is 2-1-0 at home against 1-5-1 on the road. Trevor van Riemsdyk is out, with Bryan Rust and Samuel Girard day-to-day. If the Penguins can keep Florida's chances in check, their own offence has shown it can do the rest.