3 takeaways: Forward Nick Bonino debuts with Penguins (again)
A day after being acquired in a three-team trade, forward Nick Bonino played the first game of his second stint with the Penguins on Saturday in a 4-1 road loss to the Florida Panthers at FLA Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
Primarily deployed as the center of the fourth line between wingers Josh Archibald and Drew O’Connor, Bonino logged 11 minutes, 52 seconds of ice time on 19 shifts (including 4:36 on the penalty kill), recorded one shot on two attempts and was 5 for 11 (45%) on faceoffs.
• Penguins defenseman Kris Letang scored a power-play goal at 8:51 of the second period.
Letang leads the NHL in scoring against the Panthers this season with seven points (four goals, three assists) in three games. Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron is second with six points (three goals, three assists).
Forwards Jaromir Jagr and Joe Mullen hold the Penguins’ record for points in a season against the Panthers with eight each.
Jagr had four goals and four assists in five games in the 1998-99 season while Mullen totaled four goals and four assists in four contests during the 1994-95 campaign.
• Each team recorded 32 minutes in penalties. Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov entered the contest with two penalty minutes all season and wound up taking two separate penalties in the contest.
His second was the most notable as he slashed Letang between the legs from behind. Initially assessed a major penalty, Barkov wound up with a minor for slashing after officials reviewed video of the infraction.
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