By Toby Rice
While the Florida Panthers are just three points out of the last and final playoff spot of the Eastern Conference, their play down the stretch has not been that of a playoff team. With a 2-7-1 record in their last ten games, their play can only be explained as abysmal.
"We've had a good team all season," the Panthers' frustrated coach said. "We've been in the playoff picture. Our team got a boost on the deadline with some veteran leadership. But, we're playing like we want an early summer. It was time to step up ten games ago. It's nearly too late. We have five games left and we probably need to win four of them to get in."
The Panthers will have five games to earn enough points to make this year's playoffs. Two of those games are against Western Conference powers, the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames.
"We've got a tough road ahead," said the Panthers' GM. "All games are tough though, especially with the way we've been playing."
If the Panthers do not make the playoffs this season, some offseason decisions will have to be made. The team played all season against the salary cap, meaning they want to compete. The rebuild is over, and if the combination of players isn't working, maybe some trades will be coming.
"We'll talk about that at a later date. Right now we're focused on making the playoffs."
2/12/2021 - 236 words
