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Pens suffered a heavy defeat against the Panthers last night

Debutant Jeff Zatkoff conceded 6 goals and he was responsible for most of them, so we should se Marc-Andre Fleury back on the ice for the Pens. But, regardless to that, we can expect another interesting game with lots of goals.

Tampa finally managed to play a game that matches their reputation. Until now they did win some games, but it was more than clear they were struggling. They would often find themselves chasing the game and then winning in overtime or after the penalties. Against the Panters they won 7-2. Steven Stamkos scored 3 goals, Filppula added two and St. Louis and Palat one. They were really looking good that day. Their powerplay was solid (2/5) and everyone expects these kind of performances from Tampa in the future. Truth, their opponent was troubled with a lot of injuries but it is not easy to score 7 goals against anyone.

- They kept putting themselves in position to score, without sacrificing the other end. They are really talented players and it's been fun to watch and to see it all pay off, it was great - Jon Cooper said.

- I knew I was getting some opportunities in the first couple games and that was a good sign, I knew eventually it was going to go in. I love to play on home ice in front of these fans. We got into it right away and the confidence is back. Hopefully it continues - Stamkos said.

Game against the Penguins certainly won't be as easy as the one against Florida. The Pens are very disciplined in the defense, and that is a positive change for them as it is known they conceded lots of goals last year. The Pens won last six games these two teams played against each other, and each one of those games was a real treat for the fans. When these two teams meet, that is a true hockey holiday and they rarely play a boring game.

Pyatt, Lee and Ohlund are still out for Tampa while goalie Bishop's performance still remains doubtful. That could prove to be a big handicap for them as Bishop was looking great in the opening matches of the season.

The Penguins lost their first game of the season yesterday. Their loss to Panthers was a real surprise for everyone, but their goalie was just awful and he was the main reason they lost the match. Zatkoff had an NHL debut last night and that turned out to be one of the worst days in his professional career. The result was 2-2 when Panthers got the chance to play 5-on-3. They took the chance and scored two goals but only with a lot of help from Zatkoff. He reacted poorly on couple of more occasions and it is fair to say that he was mainly responsible for the 5 goals his team conceded. And the real tragedy is that the Pens were really a much better team that day, they performed really good in the offense and they had lots of shots on goal.

- Obviously this isn't the result we hoped for. I felt very good in the beginning but then they started to score goals. I didn't save a single important shot, and when the team needed me the most, I couldn't deliver. I must improve my game and I must be prepared for the next game - goalie Zatkoff said. He conceded 6 goals out of 30 shots on his goal. 

Although it was more than obvious that Zatkoff had lost them that match, Sidney Crosby had a different view on the game:

- We should have performed a lot better when the puck was in our possession. Our opponents managed to pressure us and we were harmless in the offense - Crosby said.

No matter what Crosby said, Bylsma won't give another chance to Zatkoff, at least for a while. We should most definitely see Marc-Andre Fleury on the ice today.

Goalie Tomas Vokun, defenseman Kris Letang and forwards James Neal and Matt D'Agostini are all out for the Pens.

It seems that the 1,85 odds for this over are a gift from heaven. I dare say this is the meeting of two best offensive teams in the East. They are filled with stars that can score a goal from almost any position, and are playing really fast. The Pens lost their last game against Florida by 6-3 only due to a disastrous reserve goalie, while Tampa crushed the same Tampa the day before by 7-2. Head-to-head ration also speaks in our favour considering both teams went over this margin in the last 6 games. This will be the case tonight as well, Stamkos, St Louis and Filpulla on one side against great Crosby and Malkin on the other. This will be a real treat with lots of goals and many fantastic moves.