For the past month, the Florida Panthers have been one of the three hottest teams in the NHL.
The Panthers’ 10-3-0 run from Jan. 30 to the end of February — which ranks them with the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs during that span — put them in contention for what would be just their sixth playoff berth since the franchise was born in 1993.
Rookie head coach Bob Boughner has overseen the surprising rise of a Panthers team that was never given much of a chance this season and was surely counted out in January when both starting goalie Roberto Luongo and backup James Reimer went down with injuries.