Panthers Begin Final Road Trip with Back-to-Back in Pittsburgh

The Florida Panthers are set to embark on their final road trip of the season, kicking things off in Pittsburgh. After a long and injury-laden campaign, the Panthers face a grueling schedule of five road games over the next eight days, starting with a rare weekend back-to-back against the Penguins.

This season has unfolded unexpectedly for Pittsburgh, a team not widely regarded as a postseason contender at the start. Yet, the Penguins have managed to secure a playoff position for most of the year, currently sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 92 points. With a three-point buffer over the third-place New York Islanders and a game in hand, this weekend’s doubleheader against Florida could be pivotal in solidifying their postseason aspirations.

Meanwhile, the Panthers find themselves in a precarious position, lingering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Much of the fanbase’s attention has shifted to the team’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks during last season’s Trade Deadline in the deal that brought Seth Jones to Florida. This pick is top-10 protected, meaning if the Panthers finish in the top 10 of this summer’s draft, they will retain it, and Chicago will receive Florida’s 2027 first-rounder instead.

Currently, the Panthers occupy the ninth-worst position in the league, despite securing back-to-back home victories last week against the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. As they navigate the final stretch of the season, Florida has seven games left, with only the last two returning them to home ice. Among these, five are against teams currently in playoff contention, including Pittsburgh, Montreal, Ottawa, and Detroit, while the other two are against clubs also vying for draft positioning: Toronto and the New York Rangers.

For Saturday’s matchup in Pittsburgh, here are the projected lines and pairings for the Panthers:

• Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
• Mackie Samoskevich – Eetu Luostarinen – A.J. Greer
• Noah Gregor – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
• Cole Reinhardt – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
• Gus Forsling – Tobias Bjornfot
• Donovan Sebrango – Seth Jones
• Mikulas Hovorka – Mike Benning

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.