No one would have ever imagined that on the (original) last day of the regular season, the Panthers would still wake up with a chance at the dance, albeit as slim as they were. But after the Flyers win against the Rangers, the long shot of all long shots remained just out of reach for a Panthers team that came so close and yet will feel so far away.
What went wrong, what comes next, and what needs to happen for the Panthers to be preparing for the postseason this time next year?
Since the trade deadline, the Panthers have been at a blistering pace, but other teams ahead of them in the race somehow ended up playing a tiny bit better:
Florida went 15-5-2.