Penguins 4, Panthers 0: Silovs, Robertson, and a 6-Foot-9 Debut

October 22, 2026 - Pittsburgh - Cooper Black is 6-foot-9. The NHL recap said that made him the tallest goaltender in league history the first time he stepped on an NHL ice. He stopped 17. Pittsburgh scored four. Arturs Silovs stopped the rest.

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh is 4-6-1 after a four-game skid in which it allowed at least five each night (0-4-0). Florida is 5-4-2, a second straight loss after 5-1 in Ottawa on Wednesday. Shots were 26-21 Florida. Attendance was 14,898, per ESPN. Hendrix Lapierre, Connor Dewar, Ville Koivunen, Cooper Black, Blake Lizotte, Spencer Stastney, and Declan Carlile are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Nick Robertson scored twice. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist. Lapierre had a goal and an assist. Silovs stopped 26 of 26. The NHL recap is 26. The Associated Press recap had 25. The gamecenter file is 26. Black stopped 17 of 20 in 57:05. The Associated Press recap had 18 saves. The box is 17. Kris Letang assisted on the first. Sam Reinhart put six shots on Silovs and left without a point.

Robertson from the slot, then a 3-on-2

Robertson made it 1-0 at 15:19 of the first. Dewar found him. Wrist from the high slot, past Black's glove. Letang the other assist.

Lapierre made it 2-0 at 9:59 of the second. Malkin carried into a 3-on-2, moved it to Koivunen, and Lapierre went backhand to forehand just outside the crease. Silovs then killed a four-minute double minor for high-sticking Sam Bennett at 16:17. The NHL recap said Florida did not put a shot on that power play.

Malkin made it 3-0 at 1:40 of the third. He slid the puck under a diving Gustav Forsling, recovered it, and went under Black's glove. Lapierre and Stastney on the play. "I think (you) just learn from the mistakes, right?" Black told NHL.com. "You go out there and you see the patience that those guys have on their stick."

Robertson hit the empty net at 17:34 from Dewar and Lizotte. The NHL recap said that tied Malkin for the team lead at six goals. "I just think all three periods were consistent," Robertson told NHL.com. "We didn't let off the gas."

A 4-0 after the road trip, and a 6-foot-9 night that was not enough

Ben Kindel did not play. Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas told NHL.com Kindel briefly lost consciousness on the team plane Tuesday (vasovagal syncope), was placed on injured reserve Thursday, and could practice as early as next week. Egor Chinakhov was a late scratch with a lower-body injury, day to day. Forsling left after a puck to the face late in the third. No update.

Silovs, to NHL.com: "I think today, we're desperate. We're trying to win every single battle and get every single puck. That worked for us." Second shutout of the season, fourth in the NHL. Dan Muse called it the most consistent game of the year.

Matthew Tkachuk told NHL.com Florida is not playing well, and that a quick turnaround after Ottawa is no excuse to "lay an egg." Paul Maurice said he needs to find whether arrogance or softness has crept in, and that he thinks it is coming from him. "I've got to figure out where it's coming from."

The NHL notes put Black with Zdeno Chara, Curtis Douglas, and Matt Rempe as the tallest players in league history. Before him, Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, Ivan Fedotov, and Mads Sogaard were the tallest goalies, at 6-foot-7. The Associated Press recap said Black was called up from Charlotte after Jacob Markstrom's shoulder injury, and that Pittsburgh shuffled lines after a Western trip that ended with Kindel collapsing on the flight home. Florida continues a four-game trip in Chicago on Sunday.

AthX Engine on a 26-save shutout

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Robertson at 9.20 (two goals, two shots). Dewar is 7.30. Lapierre is 7.10. Malkin is 6.60 with two PIM. Letang is 4.10. Lizotte is 4.00. Reinhart is 3.60 on six shots. Silovs's win, 26 saves, and shutout land at 15.40. Black is 3.20.

Pittsburgh's team line is 20.80. Florida's 0-4 floors at 0.00.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Silovs after four games of five-plus against, and for a Panthers road trip that still has Chicago on Sunday. They are not the same number.

Track Silovs, Robertson, Malkin, and both clubs on the marketplace. Nashville visits Pittsburgh on Saturday. Florida is in Chicago on Sunday.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020158. Information only; not financial advice.*