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Push for the Playoffs: Bruins won’t make it easy for Panthers to rebound

Panthers Push for the Playoffs vs. Bruins

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 14: Colton Sceviour #7 of the Florida Panthers crosses sticks with David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins at the BB&T Center on December 14, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Push for the Playoffs will run every morning through the end of the 2019-20 NHL season. We’ll highlight the current playoff picture in both conferences, take a look at what the first-round matchups might look like, see who’s leading the race for the best odds in the draft lottery and more.

The Florida Panthers experienced a February they’d like to forget, even looking past the baffling Vincent Trocheck trade. The Panthers simply need to do better if they hope to avoid another unsuccessful push for the playoffs.

Since Feb. 1, the Panthers have squandered many opportunities to fight off the Maple Leafs or secure a wild-card spot, going 5-10-2. The schedule hasn’t always been easy, but respite might not come anytime soon, what with Thursday’s opponent being the formidable Bruins.

There’s talent on this Panthers, team, though. With that in mind, it makes sense that they’re focusing on execution. Erik Haula beamed that “I think you’re going to see a different team on Thursday” following a recent practice, while Joel Quenneville emphasized attention to detail.

“We’ve got to fine-tune our game,” Quenneville said. “The last couple games we got really loose in our own end, and I think our overall game’s got to be tightened, assured and [we’ve got to have] a lot of trust in how we play without the puck. Defensively, we’ve got to be predictable and accountable.”

Whether the Panthers need big changes or minor tweaks, the point is clear: time is running out for the Panthers to make their push for a spot in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

IF PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Bruins vs. Islanders
Capitals vs. Blue Jackets
Lightning vs. Maple Leafs
Flyers vs. Penguins

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Blues vs. Jets
Golden Knights vs. Canucks
Avalanche vs. Stars
Oilers vs. Flames

TODAY’S GAMES WITH PLAYOFF CONTENDERS

Penguins at Sabres, 7 p.m. ET
Canadiens at Lightning, 7 p.m. ET
Capitals at Rangers, 7 p.m. ET
Bruins at Panthers, 7 p.m. ET
Hurricanes at Flyers, 7 p.m. ET (Watch live on NBCSN)
Islanders at Senators, 7:30 p.m. ET
Stars at Predators, 8 p.m. ET
Oilers at Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET
Wild at Sharks, 10:30 p.m. ET
Maple Leafs at Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET

eastthurs

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (via Hockey Reference)

Bruins: 100 percent
Lightning: 100
Capitals: 99.8
Flyers: 99.1
Penguins: 96.8
Maple Leafs: 85.4
Islanders: 74.6
Hurricanes: 63.7
Blue Jackets: 33
Panthers: 23.6
Rangers: 22.2
Canadiens: 1.6
Sabres: 0.2
Devils: 0
Senators: 0
Red Wings: out

westthurs

PLAYOFF PERCENTAGES (Via Hockey Reference)

Avalanche: 100 percent
Blues: 100
Stars: 99.8
Oilers: 97.1
Golden Knights: 96.7
Flames: 69.7
Canucks: 65.6
Wild: 52.2
Coyotes: 45.1
Jets: 34.7
Predators: 29.3
Blackhawks: 9.6
Sharks: 0.2
Ducks: 0
Kings: 0

THE DRAFT LOTTERY PICTURE

Red Wings – 18.5 percent
Kings – 13.5 percent
Senators – 11. 5 percent
Ducks – 9.5 percent
Senators – 8.5 percent*
Devils – 7.5 percent
Sabres – 6.5 percent
Blackhawks– 6 percent
Canadiens – 5 percent
Devils – 3.5 percent**
Jets – 3 percent
Predators – 2.5 percent
Panthers – 2 percent
Rangers – 1.5 percent
Blue Jackets – 1 percent

(* SJ’s 2020 first-round pick owned by OTT)
(** ARZ’s lottery-protected 2020 first-round pick owned by NJ. If top three, moves to 2021)

ART ROSS RACE

Leon Draisaitl, Oilers – 108 points
Connor McDavid, Oilers – 95 points
David Pastrnak, Bruins – 92 points
Artemi Panarin, Rangers – 90 points
Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche – 88 points

ROCKET RICHARD RACE

David Pastrnak, Bruins – 47 goals
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs – 46 goals
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals – 45 goals
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers – 43 goals
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes – 36 goals


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.