The Florida Panthers are heading to the postseason for the fifth time in their 23-year history, clinching a playoff berth after the Boston Bruins lost 6-4 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.
WE'VE CLINCHED! #HistoryStartsNow https://t.co/54uVrtTCoH pic.twitter.com/iLq3UVXf7F
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 3, 2016
The Bruins entered the game already one point behind the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers - who hold the final Atlantic Division and wild-card postseason spots respectively. The Blackhawks scored six unanswered goals to start the game, and Boston couldn't recover from the early deficit.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have won their past two games to re-take the lead in the Atlantic Division, sitting two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Sunday's action. Their most recent win over the Montreal Canadiens was their 44th of the season, setting a new franchise record.
In a press release, the Panthers listed a number of other franchise records set this season:
- 12-game winning streak (Dec. 15 - Jan. 10)
- Seven-game home winning streak (Dec. 10 - Jan. 3)
- Six-game road winning streak (Dec. 15 - Jan. 10)
- Four All-Star Game representatives (Roberto Luongo, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Ekblad, and head coach Gerard Gallant)
- Five 50-point scorers for 1st time in team history (Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck)
As of Saturday night, Florida would be matched up against one of their All-Star goalie's former teams - the New York Islanders - in the opening round of the playoffs. The Panthers hold a 2-1 advantage in their season series.
