The Florida Panthers will close out the road portion of their schedule on Saturday night against a division rival also having a frustrating season. Florida has dropped each of the first four games of this five-game roadie and will try to salvage a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. To be fair, while yes, the players on the ice will absolutely be pushing to end their weeklong expedition with a hard-earned victory, when looking at the bigger picture, it would actually more benefit the Panthers if they lost the game. In regulation. The big reason why its better for Florida not to win at this point of the season, after being eliminated from playoff contention, is that if the Panthers finish in a position where they end up with a top-10 selection in this summer’s NHL Draft, they get to retain the pick despite having traded it to Chicago in last year’s Trade Deadline deal that brough Seth Jones to Sunrise. Whether Florida keeps the pick or trades it, the higher that selection ends up being, the better. When looking at the standings, the Panthers and Maple Leafs each have 78 points through 79 games, sitting as the sixth and seventh-worst teams in the league. Florida is seeded higher because they have more regulation wins. In terms of lottery odds, this game holds pretty heavy implications. The Seatle Kraken are one point behind the Cats and Leafs with a game in hand. They host the Calgary Flames on Saturday after beating the Vegas Golden Knights in a shootout Friday night, Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s visit to Ottawa: Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich Jesper Boqvist – Eetu Luostarinen – A.J. Greer Tomas Nosek – Cole Schwindt - Noah Gregor Nolan Foote – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza Gus Forsling – Mike Benning Donovan Sebrango – Marik Alscher Tobias Bjornfot – Ludvig Jansson Photo caption: Jan 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Troy Stecher (28) battles for the puck with Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
