Panthers set up for ‘good final stretch.’ Where things stand heading into All-Star Break
MacKenzie Weegar knows the Florida Panthers don’t take their current position in the standings for granted.
He also knows the team understands that being in first place in early February isn’t the end goal.
Even with a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the Panthers are 32-10-5 on the season entering the NHL All-Star Break. Their 69 points put them in first place in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning, their Atlantic Division rival who has played one fewer game than Florida.
“We’ve set ourselves up for a good final stretch,” Weegar said.
That final regular-season stretch, which resumes Feb. 16 after a two-week hiatus, will be 34 games in 73 days.
Unlike Panthers teams of the past, this stretch won’t necessarily be about fighting to make the playoffs. Florida, after all, has a more than 20-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings, the current ninth-place team in the Eastern Conference and the team that would be the top team in the conference on the outside looking in of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Instead, this final stretch — 14 of 34 of which are against teams currently in position to make the playoffs, with nine of those 14 being on the road — will be about fighting for playoff seeding and getting the roster in its best possible to make a deep postseason run.
“It’s going to get harder, for sure,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “The schedule is demanding. We really have to take this break and use it intelligently — resting, rejuvenating and getting ready for that push.”
The Panthers have shown all season that they are one of the top teams in the league. Their high-octane offense and depth of scoring options keeps them in just about any game they play.
Florida has eight players who have scored at least 10 goals this year, led by Sam Bennett and Aleksander Barkov with 21 apiece. They have 11 players with at least 15 assists, with All-Star Jonathan Huberdeau pacing the team and the NHL with 47.
The power play, which struggled early in the year, has now become a consistent factor in their scoring ways. Since the NHL resumed play on Dec. 28 following an extended holiday break, the Panthers have converted on 28.9 percent of their power-play opportunities. That’s the fifth-best in the league in that span.
Sergei Bobrovsky has been a rock in net, ranking in the top 10 among regular starting goaltenders in save percentage (.920).
“It’s not just a couple guys; it really is the whole team from top to bottom,” said winger Anthony Duclair, who has 19 goals.
But Florida also knows it has plenty of room to grow.
The Panthers have struggled on the road — they’re just 9-7-5 this year away from FLA Live Arena compared to an NHL-best 23-3-0 on home ice — and their defense has been inconsistent.
This upcoming final stretch, these final 34 regular-season games, are their chance to make their adjustments before the playoffs.
“We’ve been a pretty exciting team,” Weegar said, “and we want to keep that going.”
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