Seven games ago, the Jets had not won a game this season when trailing going into the third. They have now done it three times, all on the road (Washington, Carolina, Florida).
– TSN’s Dennis Beyak. And so the Florida Panthers move on to D.C. following their “biggest” loss – depending on how you define what was at stake – in 18 seasons of NHL existence. Might have been preferable to simply suffer another 7-0 pounding, which is precisely what Winnipeg did to the Cats almost five weeks ago, instead of having to endure the truly monumental metamorphosis which unraveled in real-time before our unbelieving eyes. This one was so embarrassingly ridiculous that I can personally recall less than a handful of worse outcomes, the bulk of those having taken place in Hartford (which alone speaks volumes). Moving along…
One point for the clinch. Two games remaining.
RECAPS: Litter Box Cats * SB Nation * Arctic Ice Hockey * Illegal Curve
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The Eastern Front
|
Rk |
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
OT |
ROW |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
Home |
Away |
Last 10 |
Stk |
|
1 |
y-NY Rangers |
80 |
51 |
22 |
7 |
47 |
109 |
223 |
178 |
27-11-2 |
24-11-5 |
7-3-0 |
Won 1 |
|
2 |
y-Boston |
80 |
47 |
29 |
4 |
39 |
98 |
262 |
198 |
23-14-3 |
24-15-1 |
7-2-1 |
Lost 1 |
|
3 |
Florida |
80 |
37 |
25 |
18 |
31 |
92 |
197 |
222 |
20-9-11 |
17-16-7 |
3-2-5 |
OT 2 |
|
4 |
x-Pittsburgh |
80 |
49 |
25 |
6 |
40 |
104 |
273 |
217 |
27-10-2 |
22-15-4 |
5-4-1 |
Won 1 |
|
5 |
x-Philadelphia |
80 |
46 |
25 |
9 |
42 |
101 |
260 |
227 |
21-13-6 |
25-12-3 |
5-3-2 |
Lost 1 |
|
6 |
x-New Jersey |
80 |
46 |
28 |
6 |
34 |
98 |
222 |
206 |
23-13-4 |
23-15-2 |
6-3-1 |
Won 4 |
|
7 |
x-Ottawa |
80 |
41 |
29 |
10 |
35 |
92 |
246 |
233 |
20-16-4 |
21-13-6 |
5-4-1 |
Lost 1 |
|
8 |
Washington |
80 |
40 |
32 |
8 |
36 |
88 |
214 |
227 |
25-11-4 |
15-21-4 |
4-4-2 |
Lost 1 |
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
9 |
Buffalo |
80 |
39 |
31 |
10 |
32 |
88 |
214 |
224 |
21-12-8 |
18-19-2 |
6-2-2 |
Won 1 |
*
Why last night rocked:
- After divorcing raw emotion from the reality of the situation, Tuesday’s real loser was the Washington Capitals, who not only fell four points behind Florida but watched Buffalo rebound over the mess that is Toronto to pull into a tie at 88 points. Caps still hold all initial tiebreakers, though remaining schedule – almost regardless of what happens tomorrow – is formidable as they close the season Saturday from Madison Square Garden against the 51-win Rangers. Florida needs a single point against either Washington or Carolina to seal this thing up.
Why last night jonesed:
- Simply not enough bandwidth to cover it all but thankfully the game, er season, is not yet up. This thing is entirely doable./
Panthers Playoff Update:
- FLA lost 2-3 (OT) to WPG; playoff odds down 0.8 to 99.5% (huh?) per Sports Club Stats
- Odds for Capitals and Sabres
- Further explanation on several scenarios
- Remaining games for all three clubs:/
|
Rk |
Team |
Pts |
ROW |
GR |
80 |
81 |
82 |
|
3 |
FLA |
92 |
31 |
2 |
OTL |
@WSH (THU) |
CAR (SAT) |
|
8 |
WSH |
88 |
36 |
2 |
L |
FLA (THU) |
@NYR (SAT) |
|
9 |
BUF |
88 |
32 |
2 |
W |
@PHI (THU) |
@BOS (SAT) |
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Why tonight is a Big Deal in SoFla:
- Only two games on the slate (TB@MTL, DET@STL); neither means anything to the Panthers, Caps, or Sabres
Next up for the Cats:
- Tomorrow from Washington (FS-FLA) for yet another episode of The Biggest Game In Franchise History, 3rd edition, volume XXIV. LBC Game Thread attempts to remove the funk of 40,000 years (or at least 48 hours) around 6:30/
Did you know:
- In seven games played since March 23, six have gone to extra time, resulting in a 1-1-2-3 record. The lone regulation loss? 4-1 from Columbus. Incredible./
Tuesday’s Organizational News:
- Scratches: F Kris Barch, Jerred Smithson, Mike Santorelli, D Keaton Ellerby
- The Rampage are taking to a very friendly schedule as the AHL season winds down
- Well, um, okay…/