The game got off to an inauspicious start, with the Panthers’ Nick Bjugstad putting Florida on the board first. The 23 year-old pivot notched his tenth goal of the season on a wrist shot, with assists from Alex Petrovic and Brian Campbell. Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t have much of a chance on the play.
The Pens certainly had some chances of their own in the first period, but they couldn’t seem to put the puck in the net, and at certain points couldn’t find the net itself. The intensity was there.