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Florida Panthers: Tough road ahead against the West

By Luke Kendall

COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 07: Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers on January 07, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Blue Jackets defeated the Panthers 3-2 in a shootout. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 07: Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers on January 07, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Blue Jackets defeated the Panthers 3-2 in a shootout. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – JANUARY 9: James Reimer
ST. LOUIS, MO – JANUARY 9: James Reimer /

Division games are usually the most important games for any team. They present the opportunity to get two points while preventing a main competitor from getting any at the same time. However, the division games of February and March will not matter if the Panthers fall behind in the standings in January.

One thing to keep in mind is that unlike games against the east, it doesn’t affect the Panthers if a team from the west gets zero, one, or two points. Obviously, Florida’s players, coaches, and fans would love to see the Cats win all five of these games in regulation.

However, considering the class of the opponents that probably isn’t realistic. If the Panthers can get points in all of the next five games, even if they don’t always win, that would still go a long way towards keeping the Panthers in the hunt for a possible playoff berth.

Next: Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov have been playing amongst the league’s best

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