With 21 seconds left to go, Tomas Fleischmann had the season on his stick. He was on a clear breakaway but couldn't beat Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. As is the Panthers' MO, the game went to overtime, where the Panthers failed to clinch the division and a playoff spot in front of a raucous home crowd deserving something special.
Unfortunately it cannot be summed up on one unsuccessful breakaway. It was more of the breakDOWN of a Panther team that came out roaring from the start, dominated Winnipeg, and were sitting pretty with a 3-0 lead. But then the Panthers became, well, the Panthers. A team that cannot ever do anything easily.
The Jets took advantage of many foolish Panther turnovers, and Jose Theodore looked as shaky as he has in months at the very worst time. Winnipeg scored four unanswered goals over a 10 minute stretch between the second and third periods to take a 4-3 lead. The Panthers needed to regroup, and they did for the most part. However, it still did not look like the Panthers would be able to tie it up until Tomas Kopecky's remarkable shot from a very weak angle to beat Pavelec over his right shoulder. Everyone in the building and watching were shocked into consciousness that destiny might really be in play.
No reasonable Panther/hockey fan could expect a team that hasn't done anything in over a decade to suddenly dominate and simply seize control of a game they must win could they? That is the case with this team, and unmercifully they will keep this fan base depressed, bewildered, and nauseous for at least two more days.
Although the Panthers failed to gain two points, the one they did earn was absolutely massive, as was the case in Detroit. If the Panthers find a way to finally finish the job in clinching the division, one need to look no further than that Kopecky goal. It was so unexpected. So amazing. So lucky. Yes, lucky. Something the Panthers cannot seem to find in any situation, which is why they sit where they are. Call that goal the silver lining of a cloud filled with pain.
The Sabres' unbelievable overtime victory over the Leafs kept the Panthers from clinching anything tonight, of course. If the Sabres were to lose to the Flyers or Rangers on the road, the Panthers would clinch the eighth spot in the east at worst. But let's face it. This is all about the division. It always has been.
Luckily the Panthers play in one of if not the worst divisions in the NHL. Their four point lead on Washington would seem like enough padding to be comfortable with two games to play, but the Caps hold the tiebreaker. Thursday night the Panthers head to Washington in what will be the ultimate blood bath, and the biggest test in character to date for Dineen and his Cats.
The Panthers will finish the season at home against Carolina Saturday night.
One point. One measly point is all that is needed for Florida to win its first division title in franchise history. All those losses to the Canes, Islanders, Oilers, Wild, and Blue Jackets over the last few weeks are making this excruciating process what it is.
The Hollywood story of Stephen Weiss earning his first playoff appearance on his birthday and the 10th anniversary of his first NHL game is now inexplicably ruined. Now it is gut check time. Few places in the league have been more unfriendly to the Panthers than the Verizon Center in D.C.
How will this team react, when they only need one point? Will they concoct the absolute worst cocktail in playing not to lose? The rested and angry Capitals will surely come out flying, smelling a wounded animal.
The veterans in that Florida locker room need to be the leaders they are and keep this team's collective chins up. They are fragile, and Dineen and GM Dale Tallon know it. It's a process. A blueprint. But an unexpected division title could go a long way to accelerating the plan faster than even they envisioned.
One point. One point to pull off the surprise of the season (outside of the Blues' success). We shall see the type of fortitude this group has to earn it, then breathe a sigh of relief.
Twitter @DanSpiegel
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