Panthers get a taste of playoff atmosphere as they head into holiday break
SUNRISE, Fla. -- With a riveting 4-3 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in front of a raucous crowd of nearly 16,000 fans at the BB&T Center on Monday night, the Florida Panthers are heading into the holiday break with their heads held high.
Letting a two-goal lead slip away in the final six minutes of regulation, the Panthers survived a hectic overtime period to force a shootout where Aleksander Barkov netted the lone goal of the skills competition in the bottom of the seventh round to give Florida its third win in four games.
''This was a big win for us,'' Barkov said. ''The past two games have been like playoff hockey.''
Playoff hockey in Sunrise?
It's not as far-fetched as it sounds as the atmosphere on Monday night had all the makings of a postseason thriller. The building was packed and the tension was palpable as the Penguins and Panthers collided for the final game in their home-and-home series.
Watching a wave of black plastic rats rain down upon center ice as players celebrated their most recent victory in front of the largest home crowd of the season, one could only imagine how much a return to the playoffs would mean to the Panthers and their long-suffering fans.
In capturing six of eight points against tough Eastern Conference opponents in their last four games before the break, the Panthers have not only been steadily climbing the standings, but also garnering national attention for the fashion in which they are doing it.
Following Monday's victory, Florida has now gone a total 33 rounds in its past three shootout wins, including an NHL-record 20 rounds against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 16.
''It's kind of a little miracle down here,'' said Panthers forward Scottie Upshall. ''It's kind of nice. It's something to build off of and (gives us) good vibes. It's tiring when you play these games until 10:45 p.m. (laughing). It was a great goal to finish and (Roberto Luongo) was unbelievable. It was a good way to finish right before Christmas.''
Yes, it may have taken an early Christmas miracle, but the Panthers couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off their break than the sendoff they received at home on Monday night.
In downing the perennial powerhouse Penguins, the Panthers not only moved back into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but also sent a message to fellow playoff contenders around the league.
There's no more surprises, these Panthers are for real.
''You always look at the standings,'' said Upshall. ''It's that time of the year where you want to continually look at the team right above and continually see where you need to get. What games you need to win, what teams are coming in that are right there in the standings with you and we have to play some really good hockey teams come the next four or five games.
''It's something that's definitely on our radar and probably on theirs. I just don't think there are any surprises anymore. We're playing hard, teams realize that, and they're going to be good, hard games.''
As Upshall alluded to, the Panthers road ahead isn't an easy one, with home games against Toronto, Montreal and New York awaiting them upon their return.
Still, boasting a 15-8-7 record, the Panthers are happy to be in the playoff picture at this point of the season. The team has surpassed expectations and earned a well-deserved hockey hiatus.
''We're in a good position,'' said Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant. ''We battled hard, we competed hard, and we've played a lot of road games already. I like where we're at and we've got to keep going. We talked about the guys tonight. It's a big two points (and) it puts us in a good spot in the standings, but it's 32 games in and we've got a long way to go. We've got 50 games left to play and we just want to take one at a time and try and get points every night.
''We've had a good little streak here going but, to be honest with you, I'm tired out and need a little break myself. The guys are competing and playing hard and I think it's a real good time for a break.''
Enjoy it, Gerard, you've earned it.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
