The Florida Panthers entered tonight’s match-up with the Ottawa Senators on an absolute tear, winners of eight straight at home and 11 of their last 15 overall. Their torrid pace has carried them all the way to the edge of the last play-off spot; to them, every points matters. On top of all this, the Sens were set to play without Mark Stone. This should have been Florida’s game for the taking. Scott Cullen of TSN pegged the Sens’ chances thusly:
But a funny thing happened: the Sens looked like they were the team that was fighting for their play-off lives in the opening frame.