NHL Power Rankings: Lightning strikes, Flames burn out

9. Florida Panthers (+4)

There has been no hotter team down the stretch than the Florida Panthers. They have rocketed up the standings and sit just outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. It is hard to believe that Aleksander Barkov has already played five seasons in the NHL, but here we are. Barkov has shown large strides of improvement every year and is now leading the Panthers in points. Combine Barkov with other young stars like Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau and it is no surprise the Panthers are surging. The Florida Panthers will need one final push to get into the playoffs. It won’t be easy but they can make the run.

Winning four of their last six games has put the Panthers even closer to the playoffs. They are now three points back of the New Jersey Devils. In their last run of play, they collected wins against, the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes and New York Islanders. Down the stretch, they will need to be nearly perfect. This gets started with a game in Ottawa against the Senators then they will travel to Boston to play the Bruins. The Panthers then return home to play the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. Their regular season will end on the road against Boston. Three points is not impossible, but the Blue Jackets are playing well, too. Florida needs to be as close to perfect as they can be down the stretch to make it.