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 [https://www.tankathon.com/nhl/remaining_schedule_strength], 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. Paul Maurice indicates Brad Marchand is fine, says holding him from third period in Toronto was coach's decision [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f1cf3f7b-3b70-472c-bfb6-1ecb0a2a04fd.jpeg] Paul Maurice indicates Brad Marchand is fine, says holding him from third period in Toronto was coach's decision Paul Maurice said it was his call to hold Brad Marchand, who has been battling an injury, out of the third period. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/paul-maurice-indicates-brad-marchand-is-fine-says-holding-him-from-third-period-in-toronto-was-coach-s-decision] 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 [http://thn.com/carolina] and the Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington]. They are currently 2-2-0 on the road trip, struggling with consistency. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/25e5d1fc-e235-45d6-9d0b-d4b9cd710ec1.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
