Panthers center Sam Bennett speaks after Florida's 5-4 overtime loss to Anaheim on Jan. 15. Oh what a difference a year makes. Right now, the Florida Panthers are in pretty good shape when looking at the NHL standings. As the 2023-24 season hits the halfway point, Florida is holding the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Boston Bruins by four points in the Atlantic Division but are seven points clear of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit in third. Exactly 365 days ago, it was a different story for Florida. Those Panthers were four points out of a playoff spot and 11 points behind third place Tampa Bay in their division. We all know how that story ended. Florida gradually improved the team’s overall game until catching fire late in the season, riding an incredible run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] They knew that every game during the second half of the season was essentially a playoff game, and each point in the standings truly counted, as Florida ended up qualifying for the postseason by just one. Last season, those Panthers were the hunters. This year, they’ll be the hunted. “The danger that we'll face now are the sections of teams that you're playing,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said, speaking of the teams scratching and clawing for playoff spots. “The danger now is playing us last year. All the teams in January that had to play us in January, where we were just hungrier than they were, because of the situation we were in.” But now the tables have turned. Granted, you obviously want to be the team in Florida’s current position, as opposed to one fighting to keep their season alive before we hit the All-Star Break. It still brings a new challenge for the Panthers to face, one that, while different than what they had to endure last season, still comes with some familiarities. “We know what it's like to be a desperate hockey team, and desperate hockey teams can be dangerous,” said Panthers center Sam Bennett. “We can't take anyone lightly coming up.” Looking at Florida’s recent upcoming schedule, you won’t find any teams at the top or the bottom of the league standings. You will find, however, a bunch of clubs who know that every single point from now until the end of the season is absolutely critical to their survival. They will be hungry, and Maurice knows that kind of inspiration only comes from within. “You cannot manufacture it,” Maurice said. “I’m not walking in and saying, ‘okay, we're gonna dial up the hunger meter, fellas.’ It's something that has to be dealt with, because these teams are fighting for it. We've got to match that.” It a challenge that will help the Panthers gear up for what they hope is another long and prosperous postseason run. Over the past few years, Florida has been learning some valuable lessons on how to be consistently successful in this league, both during the regular season and then, more importantly, during the playoffs. Now the Panthers have an incredibly talented, deep and well-coached team. The stars are aligning, and the second half of Florida’s season will go a long way toward showing exactly what kind of expectations they should have when the playoffs arrive. “It’s still the NHL, some nights you're playing the other team, some nights you're playing the game of hockey, and the game of hockey demands certain things,” Maurice said. “If you don't meet those demands, anybody beats you.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Undisciplined play, 'egregious errors' overshadow dominant second line [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-undisciplined-play-egregious-errors-overshadow-dominant-second-line] Sasha Barkov may not miss time after failing to finish Ducks game with lower-body injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/sasha-barkov-may-not-miss-time-after-failing-to-finish-ducks-game-with-lower-body-injury] Unable to hold multiple 2-goal leads, Panthers lose 5-4 to Anaheim in OT [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/unable-to-hold-multiple-2-goal-leads-panthers-lose-5-4-to-anaheim-in-ot] Panthers welcome Ducks to Sunrise looking to start new winning streak [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-welcome-ducks-to-sunrise-looking-to-start-new-winning-streak] ‘It’s a big deal for me’: Sergei Bobrovsky relishes being voted into NHL All-Star Game [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/its-a-big-deal-for-me-sergei-bobrovsky-relishes-being-voted-into-nhl-all-star-game] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
