Panthers goalie Anthony Stolarz speaks after Florida's 4-0 win in Buffalo on Feb. 15. The Florida Panthers are in a comfortable spot with 25 games left in the regular season. Entering play Friday, Florida has the third best points percentage in the NHL behind the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. Florida’s run to getting toward to the top of the east is all thanks to a stretch of 19-4-2 since Dec. 23. During that span, they have scored 95 goals and have given up 53, good for a plus-42 goal differential. They are also converting over one-third of their power plays and are getting stellar goaltending from both Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] According to Moneypuck.com, Florida has a 99.96% chance of making the postseason. The next 25 games are about getting them to play the proper style with a combination of entering the dance healthy. It's crucial for the Panthers have their goaltenders fresh when they hit the ice in a postseason setting in mid-April, especially the one who got the Panthers all the way to game five of the Stanley Cup Final in Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky battled a lower-body injury and a non-COVID illness last year. This year, the Panthers have not had to worry about any of their goaltenders in Bobrovsky and Stolarz, in performance and health. All happening while Spencer Knight is developing in AHL Charlotte, a plan that had worked out well for Panthers General Manager Bill Zito. So, what is the current plan? Before we answer that, let’s look at the schedule. Florida will have two road trips of three or more games left this season, (Mar. 2-5 and Apr. 1-6), so travel is not going to be too heavy. It’s been a scheduling luxury for the Panthers this year, with getting their long west coast games done in early January. Florida will play 14 of their next 25 games at Amerant Bank Arena. Of the 25 games remaining, they will only play outside of the eastern time zone once (March 12 at Dallas), five matinee games, and three sets of road back-to-backs. Here is another luxury: the better opponent record-wise during the remaining sets of back-to-backs are all on the front end. It’s highly doubtful that either goaltender would play two games in consecutive nights. There is also no guarantee that Bobrovsky will start on the front end every single time, either. He’ll get two days off somewhere in there and will have the opportunity to feel fresh. “[Bobrovsky] feels like he needs to play a certain number of games in order to stay in a rhythm,” Maurice said after practice on Monday. Thankfully for the Panthers, all of the back-to-backs are on the road, and the Panthers have a backup goaltender who leads the league in goals-against average on the road in Stolarz with his 1.64 GAA. For what it’s worth, Bobrovsky’s road goals-against average is third best of goaltenders who have played nine or more road games. Florida also has the best road penalty kill at 88.1%. Their game travels well outside of Sunrise. The schedule is a bit more condensed as the Panthers will play 25 games in 54 days. How would that fair for Bobrovsky right before the postseason in regard to rest? “It is better to do it in a lighter schedule,” Maurice said. “Because you can play [Bobrovsky] more games and get him some rest at the same time and when you into your heavier schedule, you just sub him out. He does not notice the lack of rhythm and the heavier schedule because he is still going to get two and a half to three games a week.” The Panthers will also have three four-game weeks prior to the end of the regular season, so Bobrovsky will be between the pipes a decent amount of times while still getting the necessary rest. Off days after matinee games are another way to look at things when it comes to upcoming starts. It can be treated as a half day off with the earlier start times. In the cases of their matinee in Detroit on March 2, they are able to get to their next stop in New York before midnight that same day with having a one-day gap in between games. The next instance, with a game against Calgary at home in early March, Florida will not have to travel to Dallas until the day before while having that Sunday of no game action. As the regular season winds down, there are less practices, so it’s too early to tell whether Florida will practice on that Monday prior to traveling to the Lone Star State. Florida will also have one gap of four days in between games in mid-March, there a possibility of Bobrovsky keeping his rhythm starting both games. The Panthers will likely get a day off in between their matinee at home against Detroit on March 30 and the start of their eastern Canadian trip on April 1. Chances are, with Easter being that Sunday, the players who do celebrate the holiday will have the time to spend with their families in the morning/early afternoon before jumping on a plane to Toronto, which could also mean that if Bobrovsky starts that Saturday, it will still keep him in rhythm without him feeling it. Similar to their matinee in Detroit, it will apply to their matinee in Boston on Saturday April 6, the last game of a road trip. They will return to South Florida before midnight that same day along with two days off before Ottawa on April 9, a two and-a-half-day gap. There will be another gap like that, but at home in games 81 and 82 of the regular season, where they do not have to worry about getting on an airplane. The preparation to have success in the postseason in goal has already started. Maurice and goaltending coach Robb Tallas will be strategizing the splits between a group their group who has the possibility of winning the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is awarded annually “to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team(s) with the fewest goals scored against it during the regular season.” It’s because, as they proved last postseason, the Panthers go as their goaltending goes. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Pulling positives from tough 1-0 loss in Carolina [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/three-takeaways-pulling-positives-from-tough-1-0-loss-in-carolina] Hurricanes snap Panthers road win streak with late goal in Raleigh [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/hurricanes-snap-panthers-road-win-streak-with-late-goal-in-raleigh] Matthew Tkachuk, Gus Forsling leave Panthers game in Carolina [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/matthew-tkachuk-gus-forsling-leave-panthers-game-in-carolina] Five Favorites: Aaron Ekblad literally likes to fly away during his free time [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/five-favorites-aaron-ekblad-literally-likes-to-fly-away-during-his-free-time] Panthers travel to Carolina for matchup of Eastern Conference contenders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-travel-to-carolina-for-matchup-of-eastern-conference-contenders] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
