On Friday, Dec. 8, the Pittsburgh Penguins square off against the Florida Panthers in an Eastern Conference matchup. The game will take place at the FLA Live Arena (formerly known as Amerant Bank Arena) in Sunrise, Florida. Both teams will have a special ceremony for a recently retired player to be named later.

As of the writing of this article, the Penguins are holding a record of 11-11-3. They are seventh in the Metropolitan Division. The Panthers on the other hand, sit at second in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins. Florida has a record of 15-8-2. These two teams are very opposite of each other in the standings, but both pack an offensive punch.

The arsenal of the Penguins’ offense includes career superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is currently in the top five of the NHL in goals scored. The offense also features point-producing veterans like Jake Guentzel, Reilly Smith, and Bryan Rust. On the defensive front, the Penguins also have superstars. Players like Kris Letang, who has also been with Pittsburgh his whole career, and Erik Karlsson. Forward Lars Eller can also be a defensive force. Karlsson was part of a blockbuster trade between Pittsburgh, the San Jose Sharks, and the Montreal Canadiens over the summer. Now for goaltending, Pittsburgh boasts former All-Star Tristan Jarry. Jarry had scored a goal last week against Tampa Bay, an exceedingly rare thing for goalies to accomplish.

Now, we move on to what Florida has in store for the Pens. The Panthers’ offense consists of two-way superstars like Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, who can both put up points and play a gritty, defensive game. The Panthers’ group of young talent is miles ahead of Pittsburgh, and that is spearheaded by budding superstar Anton Lundell and standout young goaltender Spencer Knight. However, Knight has not seen any NHL action yet this year as he has been with Florida’s AHL team, the Charlotte Checkers following a stint in the Players’ Assistance Program. Not to worry, as Florida’s starting goaltender happens to be former All-Star and two-time Vezina Trophy winner for best goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky. On the defensive side, the Panthers feature offensive defenseman Aaron Ekblad, young defenseman Gustav Forsling, and solid pieces like Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Now onto the news teased in the beginning. Former Penguin, Nashville Predator and Panther, Patric Hornqvist, had retired in the offseason due to lingering injury effects and will be celebrated by both teams before the game starts. Hornqvist was a true hard-nosed, gritty, net-front presence in his career. Hornqvist had played in over 900 games at the NHL level and was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion. He was an extraordinarily instrumental piece of the Penguins’ back-to-back Cup runs in 2016 and 2017. He was a Predator from 2008-2014, a Penguin from 2015-2020, and a Panther from 2021-2023. He will truly be missed on the ice by players and fans alike around the league.

That sums up the events pre-game and players to watch during the game. You can find this game locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and nationally on multiple streaming services. Depending on your fandom, Let’s Go Pens or Go Cats Go!