With less than three weeks left in the regular season, teams are jockeying for playoff spots, players are chasing milestones and the pressure is ratcheted up.
We’ve gathered our panel of experts to break down all the big topics ahead of the upcoming week, including their take on the Dallas Stars, who are in a tight race for a playoff spot and have key matchups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild
1. Who should the Florida Panthers be hoping to face in the first round?
Victoria Matiash: If the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to struggle as they have since March 23, the Panthers should hope Crosby and Co. fall to the second wild card position. Before Sunday’s win over Nashville, Pittsburgh had lost four straight and seven of its past nine games. Tristan Jarry — pretty great most of the season — has allowed 24 goals in his past seven contests. And Florida is 2-0-1 against the Pens this season, suffering their only loss in a November shootout. As it stands today, this series should be Panthers fans’ most desired match-up.
Arda Ocal: I don’t know if the Panthers are hoping for it, but I would love nothing more than to see another battle of Florida with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last year’s series was an all-time classic, and I love the in-state rivalry that is boiling over. Give me the Bolts and Cats. I also love the chaos that would come with one of those Stanley Cup-contending teams not making it past the first round, which can be said about a lot of teams in the East. When we spoke with Jon Cooper on The Drop a month or so ago, he talked about how great he thought this rivalry was and how entertaining the games are. Hockey fans would certainly agree.
2 Related
Kristen Shilton: From Florida’s perspective, their most favorable matchup would probably be the Washington Capitals. The Panthers have had some well-documented struggles lately keeping pucks out of their net and the Capitals aren’t as dangerous offensively compared to Toronto or Tampa. Washington…
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