The defending Eastern Conference champions, the Florida Panthers, have consistently been one of the best teams in the league in 2023-24. Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk continue to dominate offensively, as does Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe, and Sergei Bobrovsky looks primed for another deep playoff run in the crease.
But in the last few weeks, the Panthers have struggled mightily, losing eight of their last 10 games and now just four points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. With under two weeks to go in the season, is there cause for concern with Florida?
On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Panthers’ recent struggles and if they’re still positioned to make a run for the Stanley Cup Final.
Tyler Yaremchuk: The Panthers did not look good as they lost a second-straight game on their road trip, this time against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
In his post-game comments after Tuesday’s loss, head coach Paul Maurice told everybody to relax and not to worry. But should he be worried?
Frank Seravalli: On a scale of 1-to-10, my level of concern for the Panthers is a five, maybe a five-and-a-half. I just think their game is so translatable to the playoffs: they’re mean, they’re nasty, they’re talented, they can score and they got the goaltending.
Yes they lost eight of their last 10 games, but let me remind everyone that the Panthers lost their way into the playoffs last spring, and made it to the Stanley Cup Final. I’m not overly concerned, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
A lot of people spent the bulk of 2024 thinking Florida is the juggernaut of the Eastern Conference, and maybe they’re showing some warts, but I still think this team is positioned to go on a deep run.
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