The Florida Panthers have played their final five games of the regular season. They are in second place in the Atlantic Division with 48 wins, 24 losses and 5 draws and 101 points, trailing the first-place Boston Bruins by four points. Thanks to Thursday night's win, they achieved over 100 points for the third time in franchise history. The first time was in the 2015-16 season, and the second time was in the 2021-22 season.
The season is coming to an end and we're almost ready to sow the seeds of this April madness. As of now, it is expected that Florida State will face a team that starts with the letter “T”. It's either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Tampa Bay Lightning. Either way, they have to deal with two of the Eastern Conference's biggest hitters.
toronto maple leafs
Last time in the playoffs, the Cats made a wish come true for Toronto fans, chanting “I want Florida” and advancing to the second round. But as the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for, because you might get what you wish for.” Florida made the series with the Leafs look easy, defeating them by a series score of 4-1. did.
Sheldon Keefe and his crew kept that outcome in mind and got their revenge on them this regular season. Toronto is 2-1-0 against the Cats this season, but they dropped six goals against the Cats on Tuesday. There is one game left at Sunrise on April 16th, which could be a preview of the first round.
RELATED: Panthers manager Paul Maurice moves into fourth place in career wins
The Maple Leafs have been an absolute threat offensively this season. They score 3.61 goals per game, which ranks third in the NHL. Their man advantage is equally horrendous, with a 24.4% conversion rate on the power play, seventh best in the league. Of course, that centers around the NHL's leading scorer, Auston Matthews, and the skill sets of William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Matthews also has 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 25 career games with the Panthers, making him a Panther killer.
On the other hand, that's another story. The defense wasn't great, conceding 3.11 goals and taking 29.9 shots per game. Additionally, their penalty kill is killing them, with a kill rate of 77.9%. If the Cats establish a high-octane offense against the Leafs, it could be a repeat of last year's postseason.
tampa bay lightning
A few seasons ago, the Lightning and Panthers reignited the “Battle of Florida” in an intractable matchup in both the regular season and playoffs. Historically, the Bolts have matched the Panthers in the postseason with two series wins, including a sweep in 2022.
The big brother on the other side is starting to heat up at the perfect time. That could be dangerous not only for the Panthers, but also for other teams in the Eastern Conference. They have won eight of their last 10 games and have earned points in nine of them. Offensively, they are a force. In addition to building on the league's leading scorer Nikita Kucherov's 133 points (43 goals, 90 assists), he led the league on the power play with a 29.1% success rate and was fifth in the league in points per game. ing. At 3.51 per game.
Unlike Toronto's regional rivals, their defense was above average. Despite ranking 21st in goals allowed per game at 3.24, they are 10th in the NHL in shots allowed at 29.4 per game and fifth in penalty kills at 83%. There is.
RELATED: 7 Things About Roberto Luongo
Florida has the defensive tools to get the job done, and the offense isn't too pushy either. However, given their history against this opponent, they will need to find a way to overcome past losses or give the Lightning a headache.
Either way, it's a tough road
In any case, the playoffs are a difficult task that should never be easy. The Panthers have been through that many times over the past few seasons, especially en route to last summer's Cup Final.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. Either way, Florida will need to defeat one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference if they are to continue their season, especially if they want to lift Lord Stanley's Holy Grail this June.
