Panthers Skate with Playoff Mindset in Victory Over Rangers

It was truly a well-played hard-fought game for both sides of Friday night's hockey game with major playoff implications.

The panthers entered this game having one 5 games in a row, but NY had been 10-0-3 in their previous 13 games...they had not lost a game in regulation since February 7th against the defending champion Ducks of Anaheim.

The first period was back and forth with many chances for each side but it seemed that the Rangers had the advantage (the shots agree (11-6 Rangers)). That is why it was so uplifting when Bret Mclean skillfully fed Rostislav Olesz from behind the goal for a one-timer to put the Panthers up 1-0 with 7:11 left in the period. "Rosti" shot a perfect wrister top-shelf to get the puck past Ranger's goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Unfortunately the relentless Rangers came back late in the 1st and it was 1-1 going to the 2nd.

At the start of the period the Panthers had a full 2:00 of a 5 on 3 penalty to kill off, which they did...for a while...but in the end it was futile because Scott Gomez managed to fire one past good-old Thomas Vokoun giving NY a 2-1 lead. But the new-look Panthers, not intimidated and determined to win at any cost, tied it up as Jassen Cullimore (an unlikely hero) scored from the point on the powerplay with 8:18 left to go in the 2nd.

For quite a while, in fact, well into the 3rd period, there was back and forth momentum with a lot of play in the neutral zone yet no legitimate scoring chances. Eventually, however, Olli Jokinen, the captain and leader, said enough is enough and grabbed a rebound on the powerplay to slide the puck in the net for a 3-2 lead. And that was it. No blown lead this time. The Panthers stayed agressive and with the help of superb goaltending and excellent penalty-killing, they held of the streaking New York Rangers. The New York point streak finally came to an end and the Panthers now find themselves in the thick of a truly exhilarating playoff race.

With 9 games left in the season, all against division opponents, the Florida Panthers can essentially determine their own destiny with wins. The question remains, is fate with the Panthers or will this be another dissapointing finish to the season and year for Florida sports.