The Florida Panthers are up against it right now. Following Sunday’s crushing last-minute loss to the New York Islanders, Florida’s second straight defeat, the Panthers now have just 22 games to overcome an eight-point deficit in the Wild Card race while simultaneously climbing over the five teams that are currently between the Cats and that final playoff spot. It’s surely not impossible, but considering the overwhelming feelings of frustration based off how those two losses have occurred, it’s hard to blame the Panthers, or their fans, for feeling somewhat despondent. The focus after Friday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres was a challenged goal that the NHL’s decision-makers deemed worthy to stand despite contact between the player’s stick and goaltender’s glove, calling the interaction between stick and glove incidental. Then on Sunday, the Panthers began a four-game road trip by storming out to a 2-0 lead on Long Island, only to find themselves trailing by a goal during the game’s final minutes. Just when the team’s spirits were lifted thanks to a late, game-tying tally by Sam Reinhart, Florida allowed a backbreaking goal with 32 seconds left to shatter any chances of making progress in the standings. “We pushed pretty hard tonight, but the games are too important to be giving up games like that,” Panthers center Sam Bennett said afterwards. Indeed, the time to make up ground is shrinking by the day. While it surely helps that the Panthers are getting healthier, welcoming defenseman Dmitry Kulikov back into the lineup Sunday and expecting Tomas Nosek, Seth Jones and Jonah Gadjovich to all join him in the coming fortnight, the lasting dark cloud looming over the team following such demoralizing defeats can be extremely difficult to dismiss. As Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice explained, the best thing for Florida to do is focus on the positives and fall back on the knowledge of their experiences over the past several seasons. “Any one good feeling, right?” Maurice said. “Any one good play, anything that gives them the feeling that there’s hope. That’s really what we’re trying to drive now. They’ve got miles on them, but they’ve played a lot of big games together, and that’s the key.” One positive for the Panthers is that they don’t have to wait long for a chance to turn things right back around. Florida will play three games in the next four nights, and two of them are against teams that are currently not in a playoff position. The Panthers (63 points) face the New Jersey Devils (60 points) on Tuesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets (66 points) on Thursday before ending the road trip against the Detroit Red Wings (74 points) on Friday. Detroit currently holds the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, with the Boston Bruins (71 points) clinging to the second spot. Make no mistake, the Cats are running out of their nine lives. At a time where the pain and anguish can feel like it cuts deeper than usual, the veteran squad will need to rally around one another and find a way to push through. “We’re on the road and we know how important games are,” said Bennett. “We’re sticking together as a team, and we’re going to fight right to the very end.” With a roster that continues to grow stronger, and plenty of past successes to draw from, the Panthers know they are capable of achieving their goal. One game, one shift at a time. “We’ll deal with the hockey, we don’t hide from it,” Maurice said. “We’ll deal with the game tomorrow, so we can move on and put our best foot forward in Jersey. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Road Trip Starts With Frustrating, Heartbreaking Loss On Long Island For Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/road-trip-starts-with-frustrating-heartbreaking-loss-on-long-island-for-panthers] Panthers Place Luke Kunin On NHL Waivers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-place-luke-kunin-on-nhl-waivers] Panthers Activate Dmitry Kulikov Off The Injured Reserve; Listed As A Game-Time Decision [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-activate-dmitry-kulikov-off-the-injured-reserve-listed-as-a-game-time-decision] Panthers Begin Crucial 4-Game Road Trip With Visit To Long Island [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-begin-crucial-4-game-road-trip-with-visit-to-long-island] The Hockey Show: Panthers Have Seep Hill To Climb, Olympic Fallout, Jonathan Zaslow Discusses US Controversy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-panthers-have-seep-hill-to-climb-olympic-fallout-jonathan-zaslow-discusses-us-controversy] Photo caption: Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) scores the winning goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period at UBS Arena. (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)
