The Florida Panthers did not have much room for error coming out of the Olympic break.
Trying to make up eight points for the final playoff spot with 25 games remaining is a tall, tall order.
Now it is 22 games.
And it is still eight points.
Things are not looking good.
The Panthers have lost their past two games in rough fashion.
In coaches’ parlance, one would say the Panthers deserved a better fate — or at least a couple points in the standings — in losses to Buffalo on Friday and to the Islanders on Sunday night.
If the Panthers were safely ensconced in a playoff spot, these two losses could be chalked up to “that’s hockey.’’
On Friday, a controversial no call on a goalie interference played a big role in a 3-2 loss to the Sabres.
On Long Island, Florida trailed late only to see Sam Reinhart break free from the point to tie the score with 1:58 remaining. It looked like overtime, at least, for the Panthers.
Only Anders Lee busted up the ice, swerving around Aaron Ekblad and in front of Gus Forsling, beating Sergei Bobrovsky with 31.8 seconds remaining for the win.
“Tough, tough to lose that way,’’ Paul Maurice said.
The Panthers were right there, a bounce here or there could have been the difference in either game.
Only that bounce did not go Florida’s way.
Today, the Panthers remain eight points out. They are 1-2 coming out of the break, gaining no ground.
There is still time, sure.
Only it felt like the Panthers needed to make a strong push in these first few games to give the team some life.
The effort has been there.
The results have not.
“We pushed pretty hard tonight, but the games are too important to be giving up games like that,” said Sam Bennett, who scored twice on Sunday. “We’re on the road here, we know how important these games are. We’re sticking together as a team. We’re going to fight right to the very end.’’
Going 2-0-1 in these first three games would have put the Panthers five points out heading into the Detroit game on Tuesday.
Right now, the Panthers are right where they started last Thursday coming into their game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Florida has gone on big runs before, and we’re not even talking about in 2023 when the Panthers took the eighth seed.
That team was only a handful of points out.
But hockey is a funny game. A lot of teams have been left for dead and risen in the final weeks.
This Panthers team certainly has the players it would take to pull something like this off.
But it needs to start manifesting itself into results. Wins. Points.
Close doesn’t count here — unless you force overtime and get at least one point.
Even then, the Panthers need a lot of them.
“Any one good feeling, right? One good play, anything that gives them the feeling that there is hope,” Maurice said.
“That’s really what we’re trying to drive now. They’ve got miles on them, but they have played a lot of big games together. That’s key.”
ON DECK: GAME No. 60
FLORIDA PANTHERS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS
