Florida enters Saturday one point back of Pittsburgh for the final Wild Card spot
Oh what a difference a few days can make.
Heading into Wednesday’s game in Toronto the Panthers playoff hopes were as dim as they’d been since the post-Trade Deadline chase began.
Florida had lost a season-worst four straight games, all in regulation, missing several opportunities to close the gap between themselves and the teams they are chasing, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.
Fast forward to Saturday and the Cats are right back in the thick of things thanks to a pair of wins over the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.
The Panthers are currently one point behind Pittsburgh for the second Wild Card spot and four points back of the Islanders for the first Wild Card spot.
Florida and New York have six games left to play while the Pens have seven.
Each of the three teams are in action Saturday. In fact, Pittsburgh and New York each have a back-to-back over the weekend.
The Penguins host Boston and Philadelphia while the Islanders are in Tampa and Carolina.
Three of those games are against three of the top teams in the conference, and Pittsburgh has been quite inconsistent over the past month so don’t just assume the Flyers game will be a win (didn’t a struggling Panthers team just lose to the Flyers?)
Speaking of the Panthers, they’ll wrap up their four-game road trip in Columbus on Saturday night.
A win and only a win is required by Florida, and they know it.
If things go right in central Ohio, the Panthers could find themselves back in a playoff spot by day’s end.
If things go wrong, Florida could really be behind the eight ball come Sunday.
ROSTER NOTES
Starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been dealing with a non-COVID illness all week and if he's still under the weather, Alex Lyon will start for a third straight game.
Injury-wise, Sam Bennett has missed six straight games with an undisclosed injury. His return would be a major boot to Florida's forward ranks.
We'll know more after the Panthers morning skate in Columbus.
AM SKATE UPDATE
Bennett and Bobrovsky will remain out of the lineup.
Speaking to the media after the skate, head coach Paul Maurice said both players would not be dressing for the game.
Lyon will get the nod and try to pick up a third consecutive victory for Florida at an incredibly crucial time of the season.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Nick Cousins on respecting Columbus: "First and foremost, I don’t think we can take these guys lightly. There are no easy games in this league. We have to come out ready to play and build off our last game in Montreal."
Josh Mahura on staying consistent: "When we’re playing our game and getting pucks deep, and our forecheck is our best attribute, that’s when we’re playing our best hockey."
Paul Maurice on the challenge Columbus presents: "They’ve got guys that can move the puck around, they certainly have a skill level. They have a dominant centerman in (Boone) Jenner that wins an awful lot of faceoffs, so they get to stay in zone at the start, and he’ll work netfront as well as anybody in the league. He’s going to get in your goalie’s eyes. We’ve got to make sure we’re in shot lanes, so the puck doesn’t get to the net."