Florida Panthers' road trip just made the playoff chase interesting
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 26, 2026 (1:09)
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Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Florida Panthers just ripped a 3-0-0 road trip, and the Atlantic Division and wild card race suddenly looks a lot more reachable.
Jameson Olive nailed the feeling, Florida is heading home with real momentum.
It wasn't one perfect night either, it was three different kinds of wins.
Now the Panthers are 28-20-3, and the math is finally working with them.
Start with Winnipeg, a 2-1 shootout grinder that demanded patience and clean defense.
Then came Minnesota, a 4-3 overtime game where Brad Marchand popped two goals and finished it three minutes into OT.
The trip closed in Chicago with a 5-1 punch, four goals in the third, and a tired Blackhawks team finally cracking.
Florida Panthers depth makes tight games simpler
Panthers fans can feel it, when Florida rolls lines with confidence, the whole game looks less stressful.
This is the part coaches love, and it's what Olive's tweet hints at without even naming names.
Florida is now just four points back of third place in the Atlantic, with Buffalo sitting on 63 points.
They're also three points out of the second wild-card spot, chasing a Boston team at 62 points, and Florida has a game in hand.
That «game in hand» piece is the real spice, because one more clean night turns the standings from «chase» into «pressure.»
And the way they won on this trip is the loudest signal, they can play a track meet, a special teams night, or a low-event grind.
The next test is at home, where the Panthers have to prove this wasn't just a good week of travel luck.
If they keep banking points, the division math stops being a dream and starts being a deadline-level problem for everyone above them.