The Florida Panthers didn't expect to be this good this soon.
Dale Tallon was hopeful at the start of his sixth season as Florida's general manager, but even he didn't anticipate the Panthers leading the Atlantic Division with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at this stage in February.
"You just never know," Tallon said recently from Florida. "Exceeding expectations? It's hard to say. I would probably say I'm leaning towards that a little bit, yeah."
The Panthers are well on their way to just their fourth post-season appearance in the last 20 years while being on pace to obliterate franchise records for wins and points.