The Florida Panthers have a favorable back half of the NHL season, but is that enough for them to claw their way into a playoff spot by the season's end?
As it currently stands, through 45 games, the Florida Panthers own a 24-18-3 record, good enough for 51 points. What isn’t good enough is their place in the standings.
They sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, seven points back of third in the division. Fortunately, they sit just one point back of a wild card spot, but there are three teams ahead of them in the standings.
While the race is close and anything can happen, the Panthers do have one thing in their favor. According to Tankathon, the Panthers have the 24th hardest strength of schedule remaining. Compared with all seven other Atlantic Division teams, the Panthers have the easiest remaining schedule.
Strength of schedule isn’t discussed as frequently in hockey as in the three other top North American sports: the NFL, NBA, and MLB, due to the NHL’s parity.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a useful tool for predicting how the standings might shake up. The Panthers will hopefully welcome Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand to their lineup within the next week or so and they are expected to see Seth Jones, Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, and Cole Schwindt return sometime before the season’s end.
Those returns will have a significant impact on the Panthers’ lineup, yet they don’t guarantee a playoff berth, unlike the strength of schedule remaining.
Those factors are lifelines, something to cling to and keep in your mind as they play each game. But just because they exist, it doesn’t ensure a post-season appearance.
The Panthers have two more road games on their current six-game road trip, scheduled against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals. They are currently 2-2-0 on the road trip, struggling with consistency.
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