Silovs makes 26 saves as Penguins shut out Panthers, ending four-game skid

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Pittsburgh Penguins snapped a four-game skid with a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, and the result was anchored by Arturs Silovs’ 26-save shutout. The shutout was Silovs’ second of the season and the fourth of his NHL career, giving Pittsburgh a decisive defensive performance after a stretch in which it had struggled to limit scoring chances and goals against.

Nick Robertson scored twice for the Penguins, and Evgeni Malkin and Hendrix Lapierre each recorded a goal and an assist in support of the shutout. Pittsburgh improved to a 4-6-1 record, while Florida fell to 5-4-2 after the defeat, coming on the heels of a 5-1 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

Robertson put the Penguins ahead 1-0 at 15:19 of the first period when he took a pass from Connor Dewar and released a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Cooper Black’s glove side. The early lead helped Pittsburgh control the pace as the game moved into its second and third periods with Florida still searching for its first response on the scoreboard.

Lapierre doubled Pittsburgh’s advantage to 2-0 at 9:59 of the second period following a three-on-two rush. Malkin carried the puck down the ice before moving it to Ville Koivunen, who set up Lapierre for a backhand-to-forehand wrist shot just outside the crease.

Florida’s power play opportunities did not produce offensive results. The Panthers had no shot on goal during a four-minute power play that came after Silovs was given a double minor for high-sticking Sam Bennett at 16:17, a sequence that limited the most direct route to closing the gap for Florida.

Malkin pushed the game further out of reach early in the third period, extending the Penguins’ lead to 3-0 at 1:40. The play featured Malkin sliding the puck under a diving Gustav Forsling, then regaining it for a wrist shot that went in beneath Black’s glove.

Robertson sealed the shutout with an empty-net goal at 17:34 to make it 4-0. With the final margin secured, the Penguins tied Malkin for the team lead with six goals after Robertson’s two-goal performance.

Between the scoring runs, the game included notable injury updates. Forsling left the game after taking a puck to the face late in the third period and did not return, while Penguins forward Egor Chinakhov was scratched late with a lower-body injury and is listed as day to day.

In goal for Florida, Cooper Black made 17 saves in his NHL debut. At 6-foot-9, Black became the tallest goaltender in NHL history, according to the league recap, as Pittsburgh’s finishing and possession in key stretches repeatedly found ways past his netminding.

The loss extended Florida’s recent difficulties, and the shutout ended Pittsburgh’s ongoing run without a win. With both clubs now turned toward their next matchups, the result also highlighted a Penguins defensive turnaround led by Silovs’ performance behind a structured game plan.