PITTSBURGH -- When the Buffalo Sabres scored two goals in the first two minutes of Wednesday's game, you could hear the collective groan from the fans inside BankAtlantic Center.

With an offense that doesn't score much, a 2-0 deficit can be daunting.

Coming into Friday's game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, the Panthers were the second-lowest scoring team in the league.

Only Toronto -- which hasn't won yet -- had scored fewer goals.

The Panthers got their offense going in the first period against the Penguins, with Steven Reinprecht becoming the team's leading goal scorer by scoring twice in the opening stanza. Reinprecht didn't score in Florida's first five games, but has scored in each of the past three and has four goals.

Reinprecht's first goal -- on a power play -- made Florida the last team to have a three-goal scorer.

``It's not like we're not getting anything going because we're getting chances. We're just not finishing,'' coach Pete DeBoer said before the game. Friday, DeBoer mixed up his four lines searching for offense.

``We have to get it in, cycle, shoot and get rebounds,'' center Stephen Weiss said. ``We got better as we went last year. We just need some bounces.''

KULIKOV'S STATUS

The Panthers will have to make their decision on whether to allow rookie defenseman Dmitry Kulikov's entry-level contract to kick in after Saturday's game at Philadelphia. If Kulikov, 18, plays in a 10th game (Wednesday versus Ottawa), the Panthers could still send him back to his junior team in Quebec, but his contract will have begun and he will get credit for a year.

The league's current deal with the union stipulates that a player can become a free agent after seven years of service to a team -- meaning Kulikov could walk away from the Panthers (if a new contract had not been agreed to by then or if the CBA changes) at age 24. It appears the Panthers are leaning on keeping him; he logged a career-high 19 shifts Wednesday.

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