Florida Panthers: Three Keys to Penultimate Regular Season Matchup Against Boston Bruins

The Florida Panthers head home Tuesday evening to take on the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. What do the Cats need to do to ensure yet another late-season victory over the team tied for the most overtime losses in the league?

The Florida Panthers, currently sat atop the Atlantic Division with 97 points in 71 games played, are set to play the Boston Bruins just twice more in the regular season. Despite losing four games in a row, the Cats took a huge step in correcting their course and righting the ship with a 4-1win over the Philadelphia Flyers last night to regain the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Panthers have yet to beat the Boston Bruins thus far this season, falling short in a 3-2 OT decision back in October 2023, and then again falling short in a 3-1 regulation time decision in November 2023. The Cats hadn't quite found their footing at that point in the season, though, and are clearly the better team between the two at this point in the season.

All this being said, the Florida Panthers are still clawing their way out of a slump. The win against the Flyers last night was a good start, but if they want to keep the ball rolling and further lock in their bid for another Stanley Cup run, there a few things that need to keep on clicking.

1. Are Barkov, Ekblad, and Forsling Back Yet?

It's no secret to anyone that these three players carry a huge impact and influence on how well the Florida Panthers do or how capably they're able to compete on a nightly basis. When any one of these three are absent, they are sorely missed and it is immediately apparent to anyone watching.

Of the three players out currently, Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov are the most likely to draw back in soon; I, personally, am not expecting Aaron Ekblad back for at least 2-3 more weeks.

At any rate, despite the absence of these players playing a huge role in the Cats' recent backslide, I would much rather them rest and get back to 100% before taking the ice again. At this point in the season, I'd rather head into the postseason with a fully healthy roster than already be dealing with injuries in the early rounds of the playoffs. That being said, the first key to success is to have at least one of these three draw back into the lineup.

2. Stolie the Goalie

The Florida Panthers have been blessed with absolutely phenomenal goaltending this season from both franchise mainstay Sergei Bobrovsky and newcomer Anthony Stolarz. Bob has turned in an impressive .916 SV% and a 2.38 GAA in 51 games played this season. His win/loss record in that timeframe is 32-15-3, which isn't bad by any means. Stolarz has been equally impressive, turning in a .927 SV%, 1.97 GAA, and a win/loss record of 14-5-2 in 22 games played.

Last night, Anthony Stolarz absolutely stood on his head and led the way to an impressive 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Stolarz has been a surprisingly solid and capable addition to the squad, turning in some of the best numbers from a backup goalie in franchise history.

With the regular season winding down, Bobrovsky slated to shoulder the lion's share of starts in the playoffs, and Stolarz showing up to play lights out every time he's called upon, I'd like to see Maurice give the starter's net to Stolarz again tomorrow evening. At this point, he's earned it and there's no good reason to run Bob into the ground headed into the playoffs.