from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

Well, well, look who's just one little point behind a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? That would be those pesky Florida Panthers, who erased a 2-0 deficit against the conference-leading Montreal Canadiens to take a 3-2 shootout decision Thursday night at the Bell Centre.

What seemed like an impossible task just two weeks ago is now the real deal: Florida just one point behind the Boston Bruins, who have stumbled through Western Canada. Both teams have played the same number of games. We didn't think we'd get a playoff race in the Eastern Conference, but we sure are having one now.

Florida has a mixture of youth and veterans on its roster blending together and playing its best hockey of the season right now. But it's the growth of the kids that's really the key here. I could watch Nick Bjugstad, in particular, play all night long. Bjugstad is really coming into his own as a dominating top forward.

read on for Burnside on the Jets, Custance on the Capitals and more....