Florida, Pittsburgh and the Islanders are separated by one point and battling for two spots
Fighting for their playoff lives, the Florida Panthers return to FLA Live Arena winners of six straight and flying high.
With two games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Panthers will probably need at least three of a possible four points to get into the big dance.
A pair of wins, though, would guarantee Florida the top Wild Card spot and ensure they didn’t have to face the big bad Boston Bruins, who just broke the NHL record for victories in a season with their 63rd, in the first round.
Florida’s opponent on Monday night will be the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are ahead of the Cats in the standings but don’t have a whole heck of a lot to play for.
The Leafs, you see, are locked into second place in the Atlantic Division. They’ll have the home ice advantage for their first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning no matter what they do over their final three games.
Some might argue Toronto has more of an incentive to rest their best players and not risk any injuries with the playoffs starting in a week and the Leafs trying to reach the second round for the first time in…a while.
In fact, Toronto’s 17-year playoff series win drought is only the active leader because the Panthers advanced to round two for the first time in 24 years last spring.
How the Maple Leafs handle Monday's game is TBD, but it’s worth noting that Toronto had five healthy scratches for their game Saturday against Montreal. That shows the Leafs have the ability to be flexible with their roster, if they so choose.
The Maple Leafs are also expected to dress prospect Matthew Knies for his first NHL game this week after the 20-year-old University of Minnesota standout signed his entry-level deal on Sunday.
Whether he makes his pro debut Monday against the Panthers or Tuesday in Tampa has yet to be revealed.
WILD CARD RACE
The Panthers and New York Islanders (91 points each) are both in action Monday night.
New York is in Washington to face the same Capitals squad that Florida just squeaked by on Saturday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (90 points) host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
All three teams close out their schedules in the coming days; The Isles welcome the Montreal Canadiens to UBS Arena Wednesday while on Thursday, Florida hosts the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh is in Columbus to face the Blue Jackets.
MONDAY CLINCHING SCENARIOS
A Florida win of any kind combined with a Pittsburgh loss of any kind would give the Panthers at least a two-point lead with one game to play. The Cats hold the first tiebreaker, which is regulation wins (36 to 31).
A Florida overtime or shootout loss and Penguins regulation loss would also work, the Cats just need at least a two-point edge with one game left.
An Islanders regulation loss combined with a Panthers regulation or overtime win also clinches a playoff spot for Florida.
In this instance, should both teams finish tied after game 82 with the same amount of regulation wins and regulation/overtime wins, the Panthers would hold the edge in total wins (43 to 42), which would be the next tiebreaker.
LINEUP UPDATES
The Panthers will roll with the same lineup they’ve won with the past few games.
Alex Lyon will start his seventh consecutive game in goal for Florida, and the healthy scratches will be Sam Bennett and Casey Fitzgerald.
Bennett skated before the Cats' morning skate and Paul Maurice said Bennett will skate again on Tuesday.
Maurice said depending how Bennett looks and feels after skating Tuesday, it’s “possible” he can play Thursday against Carolina.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Anthony Duclair on the room: “The boys are in a really good mood right now. Team chemistry is off the charts. We’re rolling right now. We’re playing the right way, we’re playing hard and we’re playing for each other. That’s the most important part.”
Sasha Barkov on the home stretch: “We’ve been playing playoff games for a while, so we’re going to be ready. For us right now, it's a game at a time, a period at a time. We don't think too much ahead.”
Paul Maurice on the playoff chase: “It’s got to be the best part of your day, like you wake up this morning and you're excited for a game, we're only nine hours till game time. Because, you know what? You've done your work now, right? You've done your prep, the video (work is) done, the game plan is done. All of it is done and now you get to sit and enjoy the hell out of the moment."