The endangerment of the Florida Panther is a conversation usually reserved for the animal, with only a few hundred currently still alive.

But sooner or later, we’re also going to have to discuss the endangerment of the hockey player variety.

The defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are a shell of themselves as this season comes to a close. Ahead of their bid for a three-peat in the Sunshine State, the Panthers were able to retain the majority of their winning club. But few teams have been bit by the injury bug more than Florida this season.

Captain Aleksander Barkov, who was injured in practice before the season and ruled out for the year after undergoing ACL/MCL surgery, was just the sign of things to come.

Coming into their early evening matchup in Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Panthers had an injury report that included:

• Uvis Balinskis
• Aleksander Barkov
• Aaron Ekblad
• Jonah Gadjovich
• Dmitry Kulikov
• Anton Lundell
• Brad Marchand
• Niko Mikkola
• Sam Reinhardt
• Evan Rodrigues

That list does not include names like Seth Jones and Olympic Gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk, whose first game of this NHL season didn’t come until January 19th.

But for all the injures Florida is going through, this was still a game the Penguins desperately needed to win. And in the NHL, no win is guaranteed. The Penguins deserve a lot of credit for how well they played this game.

It’s hard to remember now, but this was a 2-2 game at the end of the first, and Florida had scored the two most recent goals.

The Penguins came out strong in this one. It took them a mere 20 seconds to score the game’s opener, when Noel Acciari’s bloop shot soared over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky and into the net.

Less than five minutes later, the Penguins cashed in on an early power play, with a red-hot Erik Karlsson ripping one into the net on a historic marker for the Penguins.

With an assist on Karlsson’s goal, Sidney Crosby moved into a with Steve Yzerman for the seventh-most points in NHL history at 1,755. The captain would take sold possession of that record later in the game.

Two early goals got an energetic crowd into the game, and it looked like the Penguins were going to run away with this one. But Florida, despite all of their injuries, are no pushovers.

No matter who is in the lineup for the Panthers, the team’s overall style is the same. They’re an in-your-face, aggressive team who relies on physicality to help them stay ahead when they’re leading, or help them climb back into a game they’re trailing.

Saturday’s play was an example of the latter.

While Pittsburgh was credited with four hits in the opening six minutes, Florida was able to energize themselves with a few hits of their own later in the period. And true to form, it worked.

Midway through the first, Florida broke out on a 2-on-1, with Sam Cole Reinhardt lobbing one towards Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs. The rookie netminder can’t clean up the rebound, and AJ Greer put it home to cut the lead to one.

Roughly seven minutes later, Jones had the puck on his stick at the blue line. Firing the puck through traffic, his shot deflects in front of Silovs and into an open cage behind him.

For the barrage that the Penguins unleashed on the Panthers later, this was a tied game after 20. If any team had the momentum skating into the second period, it was Florida.

And then, of course, some stuff happened.

The Penguins were shot out of a cannon in the second period. They racked up six goals in the middle frame, including the 31st of the season from Anthony Mantha, back-to-back goals from Evgeni Malkin, and another power play bid from Rickard Rakell.

Bobrovsky was chased after Pittsburgh’s sixth goal of the game, with the Panthers sending Daniil Tarasov out there to contend with the Penguin attack.

By the time it was all said and done, the Penguins had a season-high nine goals on the board and a comfortable five-goal win.

But it means more than just your typical lopsided score.

Florida, even in a depleted state, is still a tough test for any team hoping to make the playoffs. Panthers hockey is playoff hockey, just played all year round.

The Panthers is never afraid to mix it up and throw the body, and they’ll drop the gloves on the occasion as well.

Florida’s shortcomings at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday were less about Florida taking their foot off the gas in this game, and more about the Panthers simply not having a lot of gas to give.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh answered the bell. Yes, the Panthers still out-hit the Penguins 18-10, but Pittsburgh withstood the pressure and found ways to take advantage.

It is a perfect test for potential playoff hockey? No. But it’s Florida. They’re the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a litany of reasons. Playing them like the Penguins did is always a good sign, especially for a club that has been out of the tournament for three years.

Florida, meanwhile, will get another crack at the Penguins tomorrow in an Easter matinee. Finding out how well Pittsburgh plays in that game is just as important.