Note: Since the season is quickly coming to a close and I’ll be computer-less over an extended spring break I have decided just to make a super post to close out the season.

If you haven’t been watching the Florida Panthers lately, I hate to break it to you but you only have two and a half weeks to do so. The regular season is dwindling away; only ten games are left for the Panthers, only three of which are at home. Urgency is the key at this point, barring a miracle we’ve got ten games to soak in all that we can before Panthers hockey takes the summer off. 11 points separate us from 8th seed Buffalo, 12 points comprises the chasm between us and 30th seed Edmonton. Although the team is playing well, dare I say the best hockey in months, it seems nothing less then a sparkling 10 game winning streak will vault them into the playoffs. A satisfying win at home against Toronto and a shootout loss against the New York Islanders leaves us tied for 26th place with said Islanders while the select few teams below us in the standings haven’t gained any ground since last week. In these last two or so weeks, enjoying the handful of remaining games seems to be the most important thing for us fans regardless of final scores. Final countdown after the jump...

Although I would love to cash in at the draft with a really high pick, the current roster wants otherwise. This is not a team that is playing to lose, watching the games I can find very few examples of the team giving up early in the game like we used to see. At this pace, the lowest seed I can imagine ending the season in would be the 27th above the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers. Let’s just hope that the any points we gain will be marginalized by the even better play of the Islanders who currently threaten hopes of getting a high draft pick. Between now and April 9th the Panthers face several playoff teams that could use a good whooping as a final present before they hit the postseason. Playing for pride is one thing, screwing bubble teams out of the playoffs or playoff locks out of home ice advantage is another. I personally wouldn’t mind beating up on the Washington Capitals in the final games of the year. The rest of the season follows:

Despite the fact that this season and the last don’t have much in common, it is worth to note that the 2009-2010 Panthers ended with 77 points, and this year I project the 2010-2011 Panthers to end with (you guessed it) 77 points. The last 5 teams in the standings using my simulation should be EDM (63) COL (65) OTT (74) FLA (77) ATL (83). The only team that might pass us in the standing would be Ottawa which would be miraculous seeing as the Sens schedule is quite difficult in their final games. The only team that we could realistically pass would be the Islanders who also have a few difficult games to close out their season. Even the Panthers have an unfavorable 10 games, especially since 7 of them are on the road--a rigorous test for next season or one final thumping before a summer of scouting reports and UFA inspecting?

If everything goes as planned, the race to the bottom should look like this:

And there you have it, another season in the books. Now I surely dont expect for the standings to look like this after its all said and done, those figures are assuming that Colorado, Edmonton, Ottawa and New York wins every last game, which is all but impossible. All we can really do is watch the Isles and hope they win, because I'd love to win some of these final games without giving up the 4th pick. I hope everyone can muster enough courage to attend the final game whether you fear losing or a shower of confetti, I'd love to see a sellout for the final home game. Maybe you'd like to clear this season from your memory like the last you might have done for the last couple of seasons, I can certainly understand this, but remember that this season was a giant stride towards better times and a bright future for the Panthers.