The Florida Panthers, idle until Friday, got a little bit of help from other teams last night, although one result didn’t go their way and another could have gone better.
The Boston Bruins, current holders of the first wild card spot in the east, fell 4-3 in a shootout to the visiting Winnipeg Jets. While it would have been nice if the Jets had held on to its 3-2 third period lead, better one point for the B’s than two.
Another team the Cats might need to jump eventually, the Columbus Blue Jackets, were beaten 5-4 on home ice by the Buffalo Sabres, a team Florida will definitely have to pass if it wants to make the playoffs. It would have been better if the Blue Jackets had won this one, but at least the game didn’t go past regulation, giving both teams points.
The team immediately ahead of the Panthers in the Eastern Conference standings, the New York Rangers, were blanked 1-0 by Anthony Stolarz and the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden.
Tonight we’ll want to root for the Tampa Bay Lightning to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars to do the same to the Sabres, both in regulation.