from Steven Goldstein at CBS News Miami,

The Florida Panthers put themselves behind the eight ball by struggling for the first three months of the season.

There were many contributing factors but the fact remained, they were 11 points out of a playoff spot on New Year's Day. They have picked up their play in a big way since, and despite a very difficult schedule have produced enough wins to be in the thick of the NHL playoff race....

As has been the case for a couple of months, every game for this team is of the utmost importance. The Panthers have played a lot of games so other teams have more opportunities for wins, putting the margin for error razor thin. They are 4-3 in their last seven games and at some point, they are going to have to go on a long winning streak. There is still plenty of time left and plenty of home games left to do it. But it needs to happen to reach the postseason.

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