Lyrics of the Day:
“If heaven is a place where the angle go, well then I’ve got a story to tell. If heaven is a place where the angels go, then I guess you’re going straight to hell.” –from the song “Little Smirk” by Theory of a Deadman.

Miami Dolphins: (NFL Draft Rounds 2-3 Tonight)
Well there you go Dolphins fans, you finally got your first round quarterback.
You bet the farm on Ryan Tannehill.
Will he work out?
I think he’ll be a decent starter in the vein of Chad Pennington, except with a much more powerful arm.
But I’m not sold he’ll be the type of quarterback who is a game changer in the NFL.
Here’s my grade evaluation of the Fins’ pick: B
If he turns out better than average, then it’ll probably turn into an A in a few years looking back.
Here’s who I would give an A to in the first round:
Colts, Redskins, Bucs, Lions, Steelers, Bills, Browns, Eagles, Patriots, Rams, Jaguars.
Here’s my what the hell were they thinking list:
49ers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Texans.
Tonight, the Fins have three picks over two rounds.
I fully expect the next two picks to consist of wide receiver, defensive end, and offensive lineman.
Who should they target?
Well, if he’s there, Alshon Jeffrey of South Carolina in the second round.
Otherwise, take one of the massive guards or offensive tackles available there.
Here’s some guys I’d take if they’re available on the offensive line.
Cordy Glenn, Bobbie Massie, Amini Silatolu (love this guy as a guard. He’s my BEAST of the second round), and Jonathan Martin.

Panthers: (season over)
Well, when it counted the most, the Panthers came up short.
Wonder how long it will be until someone uses a LeBron comparison to coming up short in the clutch.
Oops.
Look, the Panthers are obviously WAY ahead of schedule in rebuilding.
They’ve got rookies galore waiting to jump to the league.
I fully expect Jacob Markstrom to challenge for a starting goalie job next season.
I also fully expect Jonathan Huberdeau to be on the NHL squad sooner rather than later.
Throw in some of the other plethora of talent Florida has stowed away in the minors and the franchise is really on the right track.
It was good to make the playoffs this year.
Now the goal is to stay in the playoffs next year.
But trust me, the future is bright for the guys in Sunrise.

Heat: (open playoffs Saturday @ 3:30 vs. Knicks)
Wow, that was ugly last night.
It was tank city across the league last night with some of the ugliest basketball I’ve seen since the last time I was on the court.
But, now the Big Three are back and the Heat can put some of the bad bench players back on the bench for awhile.
Here’s who you should fear in the Eastern Conference playoffs:
Chicago and Boston.
Here’s who you should fear in the Western Conference playoffs:
San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
Not much else to say about it right now.
We’ll learn if resting the Big Three for a week was a good idea on Saturday.

Marlins: (vs. Arizona, 7:10 p.m., Fox Sports)
Wow, that was really, REALLY classic Marlins baseball on the road.
The Marlins lost 5 of 6 on the road and the other game was postponed.
The Marlins pitching staff remained solid, but man there offense was just plain UGLY.
I’m talking Ford Pinto ugly.
It’s getting sad, I feel bad for the starters who pitch well and then watch the bats go cold and the bullpen choke.
Why does it feel like I wrote the same thing last year?
Hmm…

All that and more on CBSMiami.com/sports
Follow me on Twitter @timkephart33 for all the latest news/sports/politics that you need to know.

And with that, the New Jersey Devils went to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Henrique scored his second goal of the game at 3:47 of the second overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers early Friday, sending New Jersey into a second-round series starting Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“Got a pretty good bounce,” Henrique said. “Found myself alone and tried to get it on net.”

He did a lot better than that. Theodore said afterward he didn’t have a great look at the final shot.

“I kind of lost it,” Theodore said. “I thought he was going high. I didn’t really see it through. And he beat me with a good ol’ five-hole shot.”

Just like that, the Devils were winners of a postseason series for the first time since 2007. And with the game ending in the early hours of April 27, it marked the 20th anniversary of Martin Brodeur’s first postseason appearance in goal for New Jersey.

Henrique doesn’t remember Brodeur’s debut. After all, he was only 2. But this night, that’ll be unforgettable.

“Pretty cool, I guess,” said Brodeur, who stopped 43 shots.

Stephen Gionta also scored in regulation for New Jersey, which wasted a 2-0 lead in the third period.

Stephen Weiss and Marcel Goc scored third-period goals for the Panthers, and Theodore made 33 saves. The Panthers made a surprising run to the Southeast Division title this season, earning their first postseason berth in 12 years.

“This is not where the hockey people predicted us to be at the start of the year,” Weiss said. “We did some good things. We’re obviously disappointed not being able to move on. It’s been a fun year. It’s been a fun playoff in front of our fans.”

The Panthers thought they were on the board 1:50 into the third period when Mike Weaver’s shot from the right point got past Brodeur. Shawn Matthias was whistled for goaltender interference, nullifying the goal — and further firing up the already desperate Panthers.

“Yeah, they probably missed one on that one,” Florida coach Kevin Dineen said. “But what are you going to do?”

Weiss cut the lead in half at 5:02 of the third, burying a one-timer from the right circle after a pass from Brian Campbell. The equalizer nearly came 3 minutes later, when Weiss had another shot blocked, Scottie Upshall nearly got his stick on the rebound — the Devils’ Andy Greene tied him up just enough to thwart that chance — and Kris Versteeg’s try was batted away.

Didn’t matter. The Panthers kept coming, getting the franchise’s biggest goal in 16 years.

Shawn Bergenheim made a nifty move to get free for a shot that Brodeur stopped. The rebound rolled left, nearly on the goal line, and Goc knocked it home from an extremely tough angle to tie it at 2 with 3:28 left.

And to overtime they went.

“Exhausting,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “A fitting end to the series.”

The Devils and Panthers played 11 games this season. New Jersey won six, Florida won five, and the Devils outscored the Panthers 29-28.

As close as could be, all the way to the end.

“Just a bounce here or there,” Versteeg said. “That’s what happens.”

The first 2 minutes of regulation — probably long forgotten by the time the game ended — went about as badly as could be for Florida, which quickly found itself down both a goal and a center.

Henrique opened the scoring when he tipped the puck past Theodore to get New Jersey on the board and silence an anxious crowd. Anton Volchenkov camped out at the left point, waited for a pass from behind the net to bounce off the boards and carom his way, then fired a one-timer that Henrique — considered by many to be the league’s best rookie — directed into the net.

A half-minute later, things got worse for Florida.

Panthers center John Madden and winger Tomas Kopecky collided near center ice, and Madden took the brunt of the big hit. He writhed in agony for several seconds before trying to crawl to the Florida bench, the blood pouring from his face leaving a blotchy red trail along the ice. Two workers emerged to scrape up the mess.

New Jersey dominated the opening minutes, taking eight of the first 10 shots. Eventually, the Panthers settled down — getting 10 shots on Brodeur in the final 10-plus minutes of the first period, yet still heading into the first intermission trailing 1-0.

“They got one lucky tip,” Kopecky said in a televised interview between periods. “You know, we weren’t in a lane and we were kind of cruising around in our zone and it ended up in our net.”

Lucky or not, it was enough to get the Devils going.

And fittingly, Henrique not only got his team started, but then he finished the job.

“I think I blacked out when I heard the thud of the back of the net,” Henrique said. “It was a great feeling.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

According to George Richards of CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, Theodore was running in the starters net during the Panthers’ morning skate Thursday while Game 6 starter Scott Clemmensen was in the backup net.

Richards said Theodore was getting a “healthy workout” during the morning skate and later said that Theodore wasn’t among the Panthers’ scratches from Game 7, meaning he will be available.

“Theo has been our go-to guy,” Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen said after watching a few minutes of Theodore’s workout on Wednesday. “And if he’s available, he’ll be the one running with it.”

Theodore’s last game was Game 5 when he pitched a shutout against the Devils. Clemmensen started Game 6 and played great stopping 39 of 42 shots. It wasn’t a question of Clemmensen’s goalkeeping but the Panthers’ offense from being completely stonewalled by the Devils.

New Jersey outshot Florida 42-16 for the game and if that happens again Thursday night, the only hope the Panthers have is that all 16 of their shots are on an open goal.

The puck drops a little after 8:30 Thursday night for the deciding Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

The Panthers haven’t won a playoff series since winning the Eastern Conference over Pittsburgh in 1996. Thursday’s Game 7 is only the second time the Panthers have ever played a winner-take-all matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“It’s do or die,” Panthers goalie Jose Theodore said Wednesday. “These are the kind of games you want to be part of. I mean, everybody when you’re a kid and you play hockey, you always imagine that it’s Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. So obviously it’s a game everybody wants to be part of and help the team win.”

Theodore didn’t play in Game 6 but could be between the pipes for Game 7. Florida doesn’t typically reveal who will start in goal until game day. Florida started Scott Clemmensen in goal in Game 6 and he played well, stopping 39 of 42 shots, it was his defensemen who allowed New Jersey to live in the Panthers’ zone.

“Theo has been our go-to guy,” Dineen said after watching a few minutes of Theodore’s workout. “And if he’s available, he’ll be the one running with it.”

The Devils dominated the Panthers in Game 6 outshooting Florida 42-16. Devils goalie Martin Brodeur could have almost gone for a lunch break at times in Game 6 because Florida couldn’t do anything to keep the puck out of their zone.

The Devils finished with 102 points this year, eight more than Florida, which got home-ice by virtue of winning the Southeast Division title on the final day of the regular season. To advance, New Jersey will have to find a way to finish off its first two-game postseason winning streak since 2007.

Theodore had a Game 7 shutout for Montreal over Boston in 2004. Defenseman Ed Jovanovski, whose playoff beard is flecked with gray now, was a rookie in Florida’s other one in 1996. Florida center John Madden played in a half-dozen of these for New Jersey, including a 2009 loss that was his last game with the Devils.

And everyone in the room has seen plenty of them, like forward Kris Versteeg, who said his favorite Game 7 memory was watching Colorado’s Joe Sakic opt not to raise the Stanley Cup first in 2001 — a captain’s tradition — and instead hand it off to the legendary Raymond Bourque, who spent 22 years chasing his title.

By the way, who lost that game Versteeg referenced? That would be the Devils.

“Play to win. Don’t play to lose,” Madden said when asked what advice he’d give to Game 7 first-timers. “Don’t go out there clenching your sticks thinking about making a mistake. Just go out there and want to be the guy who makes a difference in every shift.”

Florida thought it let a chance slip away in Game 6. Versteeg said frustration won’t carry over to Game 7.

“We haven’t made it easy on ourselves all season long, so why now?” Versteeg asked. “We’re excited about this.”

Now that the Cats have a Game 7 to play against the Devils, Theodore is making it known that he wants to be between the pipes when the Panthers look to eliminate the Devils on Thursday in Sunrise.

Theodore’s injury hasn’t been disclosed by the team, but he did an on-ice workout Wednesday and said he is hoping to play in Game 7. Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen said it was encouraging that Theodore was able to be on the ice.

In Game 6, it wasn’t backup goalie Scott Clemmensen’s fault the Panthers came up short. He stopped 39 of 42 shots. The problem was the Panthers couldn’t keep the Devils out of the Florida zone and New Jersey made the Panthers play.

No decision was made on whether Clemmensen would again get the start or whether Theodore would start and a decision won’t be made until after the Panthers complete their morning skate Thursday.

New Jersey coaches said their preparation for Game 7 will be the same whether Theodore or Clemmensen was in the opposing net.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Steve Bernier and Ilya Kovalchuk also scored and Martin Brodeur made 14 saves for New Jersey, which squandered a two-goal lead and had fans dreading another first-round playoff exit until Zajac scored from the right hand circle.

The shot beat Scott Clemmensen to the lower corner and set off a mob scene on the ice.

Clemmensen was outstanding, stopping 39 shots in an emergency start for the injured Jose Theodore. Kris Versteeg and Sean Bergenheim tallied for Florida, which was looking for its first series win since 1996.

Game 7 will be played in Sunrise, Fla., on Thursday.

Two other series in the conference are also headed to Game 7s. Washington will be at second-seeded Boston on Wednesday and Ottawa will be at the top-seeded Rangers on Thursday.

The Panthers had a chance in a scramble in front of Brodeur just before Zajac’s goal.

However, Zajac pulled the puck away from the crease and led a rush up ice. Zach Parise took his cross-ice pass and gave the puck to Kovalchuk, who found Zajac skating down the right wing for a shot along the ice into the net.

The Devils outshot Florida 42-16 in a game played before a sellout crowd.

Despite being outshot 29-10 in the opening 40 minutes, the Panthers rallied from a 2-0 deficit and entered the third period tied at 2-all.

The remarkable aspect was that the Panthers took only four shots in the second period and tallied on the two of the first three.

Versteeg cut the deficit to 2-1 at 7:05 of the period. Stephen Weiss centered the puck from along the left sideboards and Versteeg’s shot hit off the skate of Devils forward Alexei Ponikarovsky and into the open side of the net. Brodeur never had a chance.

The tying goal came at 12:49 after the referees ignored a slash by Bergenheim that knocked Kovalchuk to the ice. It led to a 4-on-2 rush. Brodeur made the initial stop on a shot from the between the circles by Tyson Strachan, but Bergenheim came late and tucked the rebound into an open net with teammate Marcel Goc hanging on the crossbar.

Kovalchuk gave the Devils a 2-0 lead earlier in the period, slam-dunking a pass from Zajac into the net with four seconds left on a power play. It was his third goal of the series.

The Devils had a big territorial advantage in the final 10 minutes of the first period and it finally paid off when Bernier beat Clemmensen with a bad-angle shot at 16:37 of the period.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Panthers announced they have recalled goalie Jacob Markstrom from the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. In addition, the Panthers said Tuesday morning that Scott Clemmensen would be starting the game for the team in game 6 against the Devils, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald.

The combination of moves has raised eyebrows as the team looks to clinch its first playoff series win since the mid-1990’s.

According to the Herald’s George Richards, he was told that Theodore was injured, but not seriously.

Clemmensen started game 4 for the Panthers, which they lost 4-0. He also came in to relieve Theodore in Game 3 and pitched a shutout during his playing time in that game.

Markstrom appeared in seven games with the Panthers this season and was 2-4-1. He had a .923 save percentage and gave up 2.66 goals per game during that stint. In San Antonio, Markstrom was 17-12-1 with a .927 save percentage and is 2-0 as the Rampage play in AHL playoffs.

Florida’s game 6 matchup with the Devils in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals will have the puck dropped at 7:30 p.m.

Campbell ranked first in the league in time on ice per game during the regular season. He totaled just 6 penalties in minutes and finished the season tied for second among all defenseman with 53 points. Campbell was also one of only three Panthers to play in all 82 games this season.

“He had a fabulous year,” Florida coach Kevin Dineen told the team’s official website. “How great to be recognized as one of the elite in the League at whatever category it is. I don’t know if that’s the last announcement we’ll hear about Brian Campbell. He’s just been a real go-to guy for us. He plays the game with skill and character and a heck of a lot of heart. That adds up to someone who’s very worthy of the Lady Byng.”

The 12-year veteran has played in a total of 708 regular season games for four teams: the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose sharks, Chicago Blackhaws, and the Panthers.

Campbell and the Panthers are visiting New Jersey Tuesday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If he wins, Campbell would become only the third defenseman to win the award, and the first since Red Kelly, following the 1953-54 season.

The winner of the award will be revealed during the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 20.

The Panthers will no longer sell rubber rats at the arena after rats were thrown onto the ice in the final minutes of Florida’s shutout victory over the New Jersey Devils. The rats are typically thrown to the ice after a home goal is scored, which isn’t a problem.

According to Panthers team president and Chief Operating Officer Michael Yormark, Devils fans were throwing rats on the ice during a late face-off forced the Panthers to not sell rats anymore. Yormark spoke to the NHL about the issue and then made the call to stop selling the rats.

“Panthers will not tolerate any fan throwing items on the ice during our game,” Yormark wrote on Twitter. “If seen, they will be ejected from the arena immediately.”

That said, Yormark also followed that up with this tweet, “Rumor has it that cats fans are bringing rats to New Jersey #traditionhitstheroad.”

The tradition started on the opening night of the Panthers’ 1995-96 season. On that night, a rat ran across the locker room and Scott Mellanby slapped it against the wall with his stick, killing the rat.

Mellanby scored two goals that night and goalie John Vnabiesbrouck said it was a “rat trick.”

The tradition was started a few nights later and during the playoffs over 2,000 were thrown at one point.

Kris Versteeg scored a goal and used a burst of speed to set up another, Scottie Upshall and Tomas Kopecky also scored for Florida, which leads the Eastern Conference first-round series 3-2. The Panthers’ last series victory came in the 1996 East finals, and they’ll have two chances to snap that drought.

“A huge win, obviously,” Theodore said. “I keep saying this: The next game is always the biggest in the playoffs.”

Martin Brodeur made 30 saves for New Jersey, which hosts a win-or-else Game 6 on Tuesday night. If necessary, Game 7 is at the BankAtlantic center on Thursday night.

“They did a lot of things better than we did tonight,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “It was a good lesson for us. The fourth game is always the toughest to win and we’re going to make it as tough as possible.”

New Jersey forward Ilya Kovalchuk said after Game 4 that he thought Saturday’s outcome would decide the series.

And now?

“Nobody said it was going to be easy,” Kovalchuk said.

Here’s one that few hockey fans might have expected a few weeks ago: Of the East’s top three seeds, the Panthers are in the best position.

The top-seeded New York Rangers trail their series with Ottawa 3-2. The reigning Stanley Cup champion and No. 2 seed Boston Bruins trail Washington 3-2. The Panthers? One win from the second round.

Clinging to a one-goal lead for more than half the game, Florida had plenty of chances for the insurance score. It came with 6:43 left — and was earned.

With the sellout crowd already roaring as Upshall and Shawn Matthias battled to fight the puck up the boards and eventually clear it into the New Jersey zone, Brodeur skated around his net to make a play. On a forecheck, Versteeg beat Brodeur to the puck, sending it in front for Upshall, who had empty net to shoot at and give Florida a 2-0 lead.

“I saw the puck kind of slow-rolling,” Versteeg said. “I don’t know if he kind of double-guessed himself whether he could get it or not. But obviously, it was a great finish by Uppy.”

From there, red towels waved, people stomping and clapping in unison, a scene that Panthers fans haven’t enjoyed often over the past decade.

Theodore gave them plenty to celebrate.

He shut the door, and when Brodeur got to the bench with 2:14 left and the Devils down by two, Theodore never got rattled, either. New Jersey had a 6-on-4 when Erik Gudbranson was called for roughing with 2:08 left, but never solved Theodore.

“We didn’t challenge him enough,” Devils forward Zach Parise said. “He got real lucky on a lot of them.”

The Devils had the best penalty-killing percentage in the NHL’s modern era this season, thwarting power plays 89.6 percent of the time. But in the series, Florida has thrived when it has the extra skater on the ice.

And the trend continued.

On a play that started with a faceoff win — another Florida strength over large stretches of this series — Stephen Weiss got the puck between the circles, then sent a sharp pass to the left corner of the rink to Versteeg, who fired a one-timer by Brodeur for a 1-0 lead at exactly 4:00 of the second period.

It was Florida’s first goal in nearly two full games, a span of 117 minutes, 26 seconds.

Teams had gone 7 for 77 on the power play against New Jersey to close the regular season. After Versteeg’s goal, the Panthers were 7 for 17 in the series with the man advantage.

Turns out, the way Theodore was playing, Florida only needed one goal anyway.

“I just think we got outworked today,” New Jersey’s Travis Zajac said. “We didn’t win enough battles to create scoring chances.”

Though Dineen didn’t blame Scott Clemmensen for the 4-0 loss at New Jersey on Thursday night, it was little surprise he went back to Theodore — the No. 1 goalie option in Florida this season — for Game 5. Theodore was pulled after giving up three goals in the first 6:16 of Game 3, one where Clemmensen was perfect in relief and Florida eventually won 4-3.

If anyone wondered if Theodore was up to the task, he tried to provide the answer in the early going.

Patrik Elias had a chance to stuff in the rebound of his own blocked shot with 7:20 left in the opening period, only to have Theodore kick it aside. Two minutes later, Zajac tried to score from down low, with Theodore again holding his ground. And with Florida caught in a change with 4 minutes left, Stephen Gionta had a clear shot from the top of the right circle, which Theodore smothered.

That set the trend for the night.

“For me, that’s Theo,” Dineen said. “That’s what I expected from him.”

Seems like every game the Panthers have played in the last few weeks — starting with the race to return to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, then to wrap up the Southeast Division, and after coming back from a Game 1 loss of their Eastern Conference first-round series with New Jersey — has been classified in the same manner.

That might explain why the Panthers have a business-as-usual mindset heading into Game 5 against the Devils on Saturday night, when one team will take a giant stride toward the second round. A best-of-seven series is now a best-of-three, resuming on Florida’s home ice.

“We didn’t clinch a playoff spot until a couple games left in the season, and then we got our division title in the last game of the season. And people keep saying ‘That’s your first playoff win in so on and so forth,’” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said Friday afternoon. “Lots of little milestones along the way, but obviously, you get it down to three games and this will be a big game. And we’re excited.”

So are the Devils.

And if anyone needs clarity on the magnitude of Game 5, especially when a series is knotted at two games apiece, ask the Devils’ Ilya Kovalchuk.

“It’s a huge game,” Kovalchuk said. “I think it will be a deciding game, so we have to be ready.”

The Panthers aren’t quite ready to declare Saturday all-or-nothing. Big game, yes. More than that, not so much.

“You know what, I’ve been in a situation, I was down 3-1 and we came back and won in Game 7,” Panthers goalie Jose Theodore said. “I mean, it’s a huge game. For sure, it is. But I think until you win four, it’s hard to say which one’s the biggest.”

For now, for the Devils anyway, the biggest one was the last one.

A 4-0 victory behind 26 saves from Martin Brodeur on Thursday night tied the series and represented one of the most one-sided victories New Jersey has enjoyed all season. The Devils won by four or more goals only four times in the regular season, and it matched the team’s largest margin of victory in a playoff game since topping Carolina 5-1 on May 13, 2006.

Of course, one big victory guarantees nothing. That four-goal win against the Hurricanes six years ago was New Jersey’s only triumph in that series.

“It’s two hard-working teams down to a best-of-three,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “I like our situation. We’re one of the best road teams in the league. But I’m sure they’d say the same thing over there, that they’re one of the best home teams in the league. But we’re excited about the opportunity.”

The Devils won 24 times on the road in the regular season, one shy of Boston and Philadelphia for the league lead. Florida lost only nine games in regulation at home, fourth-fewest in the league — though that also doesn’t take into account the Panthers’ two overtime defeats and staggering total of nine shootout losses on home ice.

Dineen is facing the now-familiar dilemma of choosing a goaltender. Scott Clemmensen saved the day after replacing Theodore in Game 3, then gave up four goals on 27 shots in Game 4 — although, in fairness, with the way Brodeur was playing, there wouldn’t figure to be much blame placed upon Clemmensen.

“I’ll repeat over and over, that no matter what decision I make, I think it’ll be a good one,” said Dineen, whose team also split four games with New Jersey in the regular season.

Florida will not have defenseman Keaton Ellerby for Game 5 after he got hurt midway through Thursday’s game, the team describing it as a lower-body injury. Ellerby was in the lineup for Jason Garrison, someone who the Panthers are “cautiously optimistic” about having available on Saturday night, Dineen said.

Compared to other series around the league throughout the opening playoff round, the Panthers and Devils have been downright gentlemanly. There hasn’t been a single major penalty issued in the series, and the teams have combined for 40 minors. By comparison, Philadelphia alone had 42 minors through the first four games of its slugfest with Pittsburgh.

But things are taking a more chippy turn, too. The Devils’ David Clarkson picked up a 10-minute misconduct in the final seconds of Game 4, part of a flurry of 11 penalties in the third period.

“I just think it’s getting later on the series, and it’s getting a little bit tighter so emotions are getting higher,” Panthers center Stephen Weiss said. “Saying that, we still need to stay disciplined, stay out of the penalty box and they need to do the same as well. So the chippy stuff is out the window. We’ve just got to focus on playing hockey.”

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Brodeur made 26 saves in taking over sole possession of the postseason shutout mark from Patrick Roy. The 39-year-old goaltender also added his second assist of the series, giving him 10 for his career, four behind all-time leader Grant Fuhr.

The effort came two days after Brodeur was lifted after giving up three goals in 22:18 in a 4-3 loss.

Zach Parise, Steve Bernier, Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk scored for New Jersey.

Game 5 of the best-of-7 series will be Saturday in Florida.

Brodeur made at least six outstanding saves in winning his 101st career postseason game, while seemingly benefiting from some early luck when Sean Bergenheim hit a goalpost.

Another difference in this game was the special teams. Florida, which was 6 of 10 on the power play in the first three games, failed to connect on six chances with the extra man, while the Devils converted twice.

Florida had an excuse of sorts. Defenseman Jason Garrison, one of the quarterbacks of the Panthers’ power play, was sidelined with a lower back injury.

Brodeur, however, made his best saves in 5-on-5 situations. He stopped Tomas Fleischmann on a break in in the first period and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov one-on-one in the second with a delayed penalty about to be called on New Jersey.

Brodeur also stopped Kris Versteeg as the trailer on a 3-on-2 latter in the second and his best save might have been a snapping glove on former teammate John Madden in the third period.

Parise scored the only goal the Devils needed on a power play at 6:08 of the second period on a double deflection. Zajac got a piece of Marek Zidlicky point shot and Parise moved it again to get it past Scott Clemmensen.

The Devils blew the game open in the opening 8:32 of the third period.

Bernier scored from the right circle over Clemmensen’s shoulder after taking a pass from Stephen Gionta at 2:02.

Zajac made it a three-goal game from between the circles at 3:35 and Kovalchuk closed out the scoring on a power-play shot from the left circle.

The only drama left was seeing if Brodeur would get the record and he did with the crowd continually chanting “Marty,” Marty,” ”Marty,” down the stretch.

For the first time in the series, somebody didn’t take a three-goal lead in the opening period. In fact, it was scoreless with each of the goaltenders making 10 saves.

Brodeur’s best might have been two against Tomas Fleischmann. The first came in close on a backhander shortly after a Panthers’ power play ended while the second was a pad stop on a shot from the left circle.

Clemmensen’s best was a stop on Zajac after the Devils center intercepted a pass between the circles.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The last time the Panthers and Devils were on the ice, New Jersey got started quickly and scored three goals against Florida starting goalie Jose Theodore. The Panthers pulled Theodore and put in Scott Clemmensen, who went on to shutout the Devils the rest of the game.

Powered by Clemmensen’s strong goalie play, Florida’s offense finally woke up and proceeded to score three goals in rapid succession to tie the game. The Devils made the rare move to pull future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur from the game.

Florida went on to score another goal which turned out to be the game winner. Now Florida is in the driver’s seat heading into Game 4 Thursday night. If the Panthers can win Game 4, it puts the Devils’ proverbial back against the wall.

New Jersey immediately announced after Game 3 that Brodeur would indeed be between the pipes for Game 4. Brodeur will likely be ready for whatever Florida throws at him Thursday night, which means Florida’s goaltender needs to play solid.

The only problem is no one knows who will start for the Panthers. Head coach Kevin Dineen kept his cards close to the vest and wouldn’t reveal who would start Game 4. While Jose Theodore is the cagey veteran, Clemmensen has been outplaying Theodore in recent weeks.

“For two months, Clem has been an excellent goaltender and one of the best of the league,” Dineen said. “He’s a hard guy to dislike. He has tremendous respect from our players and coaching staff. It’s certainly a tough decision to make, whichever way I choose. Theo wasn’t able to stop them early, but it all doesn’t fall on Theo. He’s been terrific all season.”

The Panthers have to get solid goalie play right out of the first faceoff. In two of the three games, the Panthers have gone down 3-0. The only thing that has saved Florida has been the power play units.

Florida has converted 60 percent of its power play opportunities in the first round against the Devils. Ironically, the Devils had the NHL’s best power play killing units this season.

Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.

According to the North Jersey Record, Brodeur will be starting between the pipes when Florida and New Jersey square off for Game 4 Thursday night. Brodeur was yanked after giving up three goals on just 12 shots from the Panthers.

Brodeur is nearing the end of his career and in the past few seasons hasn’t been able to push the Devils over the proverbial hump, no matter how well he played.

Since 2008, Brodeur is 6-13 in playoff games with one shutout in the 2008-2009 season. Brodeur is also stopping just less than 90 percent of the shots against him, which is the lowest rate he’s had over a multi-year run for the Devils in the playoffs.

If the Panthers can keep the pressure up on Brodeur, this might end up being his final playoff run. He will turn 40-years-old on May 6.

The Panthers have been making New Jersey pay anytime they go on the power play in the playoff series. Florida is scoring 60 percent of the time they are on the power play and are killing Devils power play opportunities at an 82 percent clip.

Interestingly enough, the Devils had the top penalty-killing unit during the regular season.

Florida had to yank their own goalie Tuesday night after Jose Theodore gave up three goals in the first period. He was replaced by Scott Clemmensen who proceeded to stone the Devils not allowing a goal in the final two periods.

Ironically, the last time Brodeur was pulled from a game, he was replaced Clemmensen.

Florida hasn’t announced who will start at goalie for Game 4, but Clemmensen said he’d be ready.

“I don’t know, I’m not expecting to start,” he said. “I think that both of us have the qualifications to start the next game. I’m not going to anticipate anything. I’m just going to be ready if it is me.”

Florida’s victory Tuesday night set a franchise record for the largest comeback in playoff history and the three power-play goals were a playoff record for the Panthers.

Sean Bergenheim, Jason Garrison and Mike Weaver also scored and Scott Clemmensen made 19 saves after replacing Jose Theodore early in giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference first-round series.

Game 4 will be played here on Thursday.

Florida converted on all three of its power plays against the league’s top-ranked penalty kill unit, and is now 6 of 10 in the series with the man advantage.

Zach Parise, Stephen Gionta and Patrik Elias scored for the Devils, who jumped out 3-0 in the opening 6:16.

The Panthers ended a 15-year playoff drought in winning Game 2 on Sunday and they got rid of another demon on Tuesday when they drove Martin Brodeur from the net after tying the game early in the second.

Campbell got the game winner on the Panthers’ third and final power play, and like most of the goals, it came on a shot from the point that got past Johan Hedberg.

New Jersey thought it tied the game late in the second period on a Marek Zidlicky shot but it was waved off for incidental contact with Clemmensen.

The Devils buzzed around the Florida net in the closing minutes but Clemmensen stopped David Clarkson on a shot from the circle with about a minute to go and Parise misfired on a shot between the circles with the net open in the closing 20 seconds.

The Panthers seemingly were out of the game until Elias took a very foolish unsportsmanlike minor for a late hit after an icing call against the Devils.

Florida was 3 of 7 with the extra man in the first two games of the series and they only got better in Game 3.

Scottie Upshall banged a long pass off the ends boards from center ice and Bergenheim raced in, collected the puck and beat Brodeur with a perfect shot into the upper corner of the net with 3:49 left in the period to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Before the period ended, it was a one-goal game, and again the power play was the difference.

Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador was sent off for roughing with just under two minutes left in the period and Garrison beat Brodeur with a shot from about 10 feet inside the blue line.

Florida needed only 2:18 into the second period to tie the game and again Elias helped the Panthers.

Jerred Smithson, who was inserted into the line for the game, deflected a clearing attempt by Elias along the left boards and the puck went cross ice to Weaver. His 40-foot shot went into the net with Upshall screening Brodeur, who was lifted after the play, ending his shortest stint in a playoff game.

The Devils had a couple of pucks slide by the goal and had one apparent tally waved off by referee Tim Peel late in the second period. Steve Bernier fell into Clemmensen moments before a point shot by Zidicky hit off the goaltender and went into the net.

Peel never hesitated in waving off the goal, while at the time saying the incidental contact did not merit a penalty.

The Devils almost ran the Panthers out of the Prudential Center in the opening 6:16 of the first period, scoring three times on six shots and forcing Florida coach Kevin Dineen to insert Clemmensen for a shellshocked Theodore, who was hung out to dry by his teammates.

Parise, who had failed to score in the first two games despite getting 12 shots, scored on his first shift just 33 seconds after the opening faceoff. Theodore was handcuffed on a shot from the boards by Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils captain eventually collected the loose puck and ripped a shot into an open net, igniting a roar from the sellout crowd that was barley in its seats.

Gionta, a late-season call up from Albany, stretched the advantage to two goals at 3:27, deflecting a point shot by Marek Zidlicky into the net.

The rout seemed in full gear at 6:16 when Elias scored into an open net after a scramble in front.

Little did anyone realize, the Devils would not celebrate again.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The last time both teams were on the ice, the Panthers came out storming with Panthers forward Stephen Weiss notching a goal just 23 seconds into the first period. Game two’s victory by the Panthers was the first playoff victory for the franchise since 1997.

The Panthers have to feel that absent the first period of Game 1, they could possibly be up 2-0 in the series. Goalkeeper Jose Theodore was shelled for three goals in the first period of game 1, but since then has only given up two goals.

“We’ve just got to keep playing our complete game and play like we did in the first couple periods and some areas in the third period,” Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell said. “We’ve got some more work to do. I thought we changed a few things that worked out well for us in Game 2 and we’re going to have to keep adapting and trying new things as well.”

In the series, the Panthers have been getting more shots on goal on average and are scoring 0.5 goals more than the Devils. Florida has been especially dominant over the Devils when they are only the power play or trying to kill a Devils power play opportunity.

Florida is killing the Devils power play opportunities at an 87.5 percent clip. On the flip side, the Panthers are successful on the power play at a rate of 42.9 percent.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that have been there, done that,” said Stephen Weiss, who waited a decade to make the playoffs. “We’re going to be patient. It’s not going to be easy but we’re excited to go and give it our best shot and try to steal a couple there.”

Obviously, if the Devils can cut back on their penalties in the game, it could negate one of Florida’s major advantages thus far in the postseason.

The Devils, who missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1996, have struggled at home in the postseason in recent years. They have not escaped the first round in their last three appearances, posting a 3-7 mark at the Prudential Center.

Devils goalkeeper Martin Brodeur is nearing the end of his career and in the past few seasons hasn’t been able to push the Devils over the proverbial hump, no matter how well he played.

Since 2008, Brodeur is 6-13 in playoff games with one shutout in the 2008-2009 season. Brodeur is also stopping just less than 90 percent of the shots against him, which is the lowest rate he’s had over a multi-year run for the Devils in the playoffs.

If the Panthers can keep the pressure up on Brodeur, this might end up being his final playoff run. He will turn 40 years old on May 6.

The puck drops in New Jersey at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Sunday’s rousing victory before a sellout crowd was the Panthers’ first playoff victory ever at the Bank Atlantic Center. The previous playoff victories were at the Miami arena.

The Panthers’ Stephen Weiss set a franchise playoff record with the fastest goal to start a game and a period when he put the biscuit in the basket just 23 seconds into the game against the New Jersey Devils and goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Weiss was only getting started as he became the first Panthers player to score two power-play goals in one playoff game. Weiss has played for the Panthers for ten years, or 637 games, before getting his first crack at the playoffs.

“Feels good,” Weiss said. “Obviously, these fans have been waiting a long time for this kind of hockey and this is a big win for us. Not the start we wanted in the third period, but this is a big win.”

Florida goalie Jose Theodore bounced back from a tough first period in game 1 to allow just two goals over the last five periods of playoff hockey against the Devils. Theodore stopped 23 of 25 shots against the Devils notching his first playoff win since he stopped 34 of 35 for the Colorado Avlanche in April 2008.

The victory on Sunday also guaranteed Panthers fans at least one more home game in the playoffs. The series is heading to New Jersey for the next two games and then game five will be played on Saturday at the Bank Atlantic Center.

Clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Panthers lost a faceoff with 7.6 seconds left, New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk had a chance to tie that was blocked, and Tomas Fleischmann scored an empty-net goal as time expired and Florida fans littered the ice with hundreds of toy rats — a tradition that dates to the Panthers’ run to the 1996 Stanley Cup finals.

“I was freaking out,” Weiss said about those last desperate moments. “You can say scary. I was freaking out. That’s the wrong guy you want to be shooting with 7 seconds left. But sometimes your buddies have to bail you out.”

It took a couple minutes for referees to decide if the final score was 3-2 or 4-2, as they reviewed to see if Fleischmann’s goal counted.

To the Panthers, it simply didn’t matter. At long last, they were playoff winners.

“Over the course of the season we’ve been able to kind of balance things out,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “And I think that’s what happened tonight.”

Marcel Goc had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who led 3-0 entering the third period, then saw the game change in a flash. Travis Zajac and Kovalchuk scored in the first 2:02 of the third, but the Devils got no closer.

Martin Brodeur made 20 saves for New Jersey, losing for the first time in six career postseason starts against the Panthers.

“It’s important to stay composed,” Brodeur said. “I think it’s easy to get frustrated and not be happy about the situation because we had a chance to go up 2-0 in the series. But at the end of the day, you go on the road, you should be happy to split the series. You should be happy that we came back in the game and made it really interesting for them late in the game and we have to build off that.”

Game 3 in the Eastern Conference series is Tuesday night in New Jersey.

It was the Panthers’ first playoff win in 5,478 days, since topping the New York Rangers 3-0.

Of course, a streak like that wasn’t going to end easily.

Zajac scored 48 seconds into the third, and before the scoring on that goal was even announced, Kovalchuk redirected Adam Henrique’s shot past Theodore to get the Devils within one. New Jersey’s flurry was somewhat reminiscent of how the Devils started Game 1, when they unleashed 26 shots on Theodore in the opening 20 minutes.

“Special teams were the difference in the first two periods,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “They got two power play goals, put us in a hole. I thought they were the hungrier team the first two periods. You can’t play 20 minutes in the playoffs and expect to win.”

Well, they came close.

Brodeur kept the Devils within a goal with 6:02 left, sprawling to his side to stop Scottie Upshall’s point-blank tip attempt. Theodore was up to the task as well, denying both Kovalchuk and Zach Parise from in close in the final minutes. Brodeur made it to the bench with 1:15 left, but the Panthers’ defense found a way to survive.

“No question, we had a chance,” Henrique said.

New Jersey managed to get only four shots to Theodore in the opening 20 minutes of Game 2 — and the Devils were actually leading in that department heading into the first intermission. Shots were 4-3 at that point.

But Florida only needed one to get going, one that Weiss had been waiting on for more than a decade.

Devils defenseman Andy Greene tripped Goc on the first shift of the game, setting up a power play that Florida quickly converted. Mikael Samuelsson’s shot from the point bounced off bodies in front and made its way to Weiss, who lifted the rebound by Brodeur for a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the game.

“I don’t know if we were bad or they were good,” Kovalchuk said. “But it’s all behind us.”

The opening seconds of the first period were a turning point. So were the final seconds.

Florida got a 5-on-3 with 17 seconds left in the first after David Clarkson and Alexei Ponikarovsky tangled with Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbrandson in the corner. Clarkson was whistled for charging, Ponikarovsky for high-sticking, and it was costly.

“No comment,” DeBoer said.

With the two-man advantage winding down, Jason Garrison’s shot appeared to deflect off Goc and to Weiss, who tapped the puck past Brodeur for a 2-0 Florida lead at 1:12 of the second. Goc made it 3-0 with 5:21 left in the period when his shot made it through a maze of bodies around Brodeur.

“Feels good,” Weiss said. “Obviously, these fans have been waiting a long time for this kind of hockey and this is a big win for us. Not the start we wanted in the third period, but this is a big win.”

Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus and Ryan Carter scored in a span of just over 8 minutes in the opening period for the Devils.

Brodeur also picked up an assist for his 10th postseason point, and became the second goalie in NHL history to reach triple-figures in playoff wins. Only Patrick Roy has more, with 151.

Sean Bergenheim and Kris Versteeg scored for Florida, which was in its first postseason game since losing to Brodeur and the Devils on April 20, 2000. Jose Theodore made 35 saves for the Panthers.

Game 2 is Sunday night.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Panthers’ have been a house of horrors for the better part of the last decade. Many seasons the Panthers had nothing to play for entering February and March. But this year, the Panthers waited until the very last game to clinch the Southeast Division title.

Now comes the tougher part, winning a playoff game. The last time the Panthers won a playoff game Bill Clinton was entering his second presidential term. Still, during a two-year run in the 1995-1997, the Cats made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the first year and lost in the quarterfinals in 1997.

Coincidentally, the last team to face the Panthers in the postseason was the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

The Panthers are coming into the playoffs after winning just one of their last six games. The Devils enter the playoffs winning six games in a row, including three against playoff teams.

For the season, New Jersey finished with eight more points than Florida. But, the Devils finished with 10 more wins than Florida and 12 less overtime games. New Jersey had 25 more goals during the season, 228-203. New Jersey gave up 18 fewer goals than Florida for the year, 227-209.

Where New Jersey is especially dangerous is away from home. The Devils finished with a 24-15-2 record on the road this season. On the flip side, Florida had a 21-9-11 record at home, which makes the overall records almost a push.

New Jersey will have the goalie advantage with the veteran Martin Brodeur manning the net. Brodeur is 31-21 on the season and averaged just giving up 2.41 goals per game, while stopping 91 percent of the shots against him.

The Panthers haven’t decided which goalie will start the opening game. The Panthers can go with Jose Theodore who is 22-16 with a 92 percent goals stopped percentage, or Scott Clemmensen who was 14-6 and a 91 percent goal stoppage rate.

Theodore is likely to get the start, despite struggling down the stretch for the Panthers.

The stakes for the Panthers couldn’t be higher. A lengthy playoff run will establish the team as the second-best in South Florida behind the Miami Heat. A first-round exit will reinforce to some fans that the team is still a ways away from being Stanley Cup Finals contenders.

Regardless of what happens, the Panthers are playoff bound and start their pursuit on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The game can be seen on the NHL Network.

Turns out, the Panthers weren’t being totally honest as they sputtered toward the finish line.

“It has been weighing on us,” Panthers center Stephen Weiss said. “We wouldn’t say it is, but you could just tell with some of our play. We’d seem to tighten up here and there. There was a lot of pressure having this 10, 12 years of not being in the playoffs riding on everyone’s shoulders.”

That pressure’s gone now.

Even with just two wins in its final 10 games, Florida’s 12-year postseason drought is no more.

Thanks to a 4-1 win over Carolina in the season finale, the first Southeast Division championship banner in franchise history will soon sway over the Panthers’ ice, and they’ll open the Eastern Conference playoffs at home Friday night against the New Jersey Devils. As if the wait for playoff hockey wasn’t long enough in South Florida, the Panthers-Devils series will be the last of the eight first-rounders across the league to get started.

“You look at different snapshots of the season and there’s been some highs and lows and we’ve gone through a stretch where we haven’t had too many W’s after our games recently,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “And to finish the season with one, with such importance, I think is a great satisfaction.”

The Panthers took Sunday off, then will begin the process of getting ready for New Jersey on Monday.

There’s more than a few ties that bind these clubs.

Devils coach Peter DeBoer spent the past three seasons on Florida’s bench, before the Panthers decided to go a different way. Florida forward John Madden won two of his three Stanley Cups with the Devils. Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen — who was in net for the division-clincher, and may get the call over Jose Theodore for Game 1 against the Devils — spent seven years in the New Jersey organization.

“I’ll have a few more friends in the crowd in Florida from my time there,” DeBoer said. “But other than that, no special meaning.”

Florida and New Jersey split four games in the regular season.

“Pete’s done a wonderful job this year,” Dineen said. “They’ve got some really entertaining players and I’m not blowing smoke, that’s a good team we’re going to play. So we’re going to need to be at the top of our game in the playoffs to have success in Round 1.”

By now, the Panthers are usually golfing. So all this may seem like a bonus anyway.

A stack of empty cardboard boxes were stacked outside the locker room after Saturday night’s win — they were the ones that held the division championship hats, which had been tucked away for longer than anyone inside the organization wanted. Inside the room, the biggest rule may be the one barring anyone from walking on the team logo in the middle of the carpet.

Anyone who even steps near it is typically shouted down by the players who see the approach. During the celebration, someone forgot the rule.

That was team president Michael Yormark.

Everyone was so happy, hardly anyone noticed. The Panthers moved back into first place on Feb. 25, and never slipped from that spot again.

“Everybody wanted it so badly,” Clemmensen said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. You draw it up in a perfect world, we’d be 10 points ahead going into the end. As it is, this league is very difficult to play in. You don’t expect things to go perfectly for you. The best you can do is just stay with your game. Ultimately, we never lost the drivers’ seat. We never lost the pole position.”

When it was over Saturday night, Weiss was one of the first to get to Clemmensen to start the celebration. Fans threw plastic toy rats — a tradition that dates back to the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996 — onto the ice, and players waved their sticks in a salute.

On the Florida bench, Dineen stuck his hands into his pockets for a moment, took a long look at his team, then gazed into the crowd.

“I was looking for my family,” Dineen said. “I was trying to find them. I know where they sit up in the stands and I was trying to find my kids and try to catch their eye. For me, it’s been a wonderful year. It’s been a lot of transition — that’s never an easy thing. That’s not an individual, that’s your whole family that has to go through that. … Rarely do I stay on the bench, but I wanted to see our players go out there and enjoy that moment.”

More moments may await, starting Friday.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

First up for the Cats, who are the number three seed, is the sixth seeded New Jersey Devils.

The first game with be on the Panthers’ home ice on Friday, April 13th, at 7 p.m. The second game will also be on home ice Sunday, April 15th, at 7:30 p.m. The games then move to New Jersey on April 17th and 19th.

If needed additional games are scheduled for April 21st in Sunrise, April 24th in New Jersey and finally April 26th back in Sunrise.

The Panthers made it to the NHL playoffs for the first time in a dozen years.  A win against the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night gave the Cats their first division title in team history.

Only a handful of fans lined up Saturday morning at the BankAtlantic center, where the team will meet it’s first playoff opponent.

Exactly who that will be is still up in the air, because how the Panthers do in their remaining regular season game will help determine where they are seeded, and whether they meet the Devils or the Rangers in the opening round.

That gets the Panthers in the playoffs. If the Washington Capitals lose Saturday night’s game against the Rangers, or the Panthers get a win or are forced into OT against Carolina, they could also claim their first division title in 18 seasons.

Confused? Welcome to the NHL.

So while it’s not know who they will play, or if it will be as division champs, fans got their chance Saturday to buy tickets in person or online. They don’t know who the opponent will be, or when the games will be played, but the ticket guarantees them a place at the show.

The Panthers announced that playoff tickets will go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster or the Panthers website at floridapanthers.com. Season ticket holders can already purchase their playoff tickets.

“We haven’t been there for 11 years,” said Michael Yormark, Panthers President and Cheif Operating Officer. “We want to make it affordable so that anyone who is interested in coming can enjoy it.”

While the Panthers and their fans are celebrating the playoff berth, there’s still plenty of work to be done on a team that has lost eight of their last nine games and have given up nine goals in their last two games.

“It’s been a long 10 years,” said Weiss, who has been with the Panthers since he was drafted No. 4 overall as a teenager in 2001. “You wonder if you’re doing the right thing. At the end of the day, it was worth staying.”

So how long has Weiss had to wait? He’s played 636 NHL games over ten years to get to his first Stanley Cup Playoffs trip. When the Panthers were last in the playoffs, gas was just $1.51 per gallon.

The team was constructed over the past two years under the tutelage of general manager Dale Tallon. Through a mixture of young talent and veteran leadership, Tallon constructed something South Florida hockey fans hadn’t seen since Bill Clinton was in office…a winner.

“I’m proud of players and staff for sticking with it. They gave hearts and soul to this. This came from within,” Tallon told the team’s website.

The team still has another goal left for their final game of the regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“You wanna win your last game of the season. For your fans, going into the playoffs,” said Weiss. And for a Southeast Division banner? “For a title,” he said. “Sounds good.”

Fans are already heading out to buy their playoff shirts. Sixteen year old Jesse Pennebaker bought his Friday and wore it proudly.

“In the beginning of the season I was watching the draft,” he said. “I believed that they would make it all the way to the Stanley Cup.”

Both teams qualified after Buffalo lost 2-1 at Philadelphia, eliminating the Sabres. Still to be determined is the winner of the Southeast Division.

The Panthers are in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, but they also will win their first division title in franchise history if they gain at least a point at home against Carolina or if the Capitals lose to the New York Rangers on Saturday, the final day of the regular season.

In a wacky game that included three goalie changes in a 6-minute stretch in the second period, the Capitals raced to a 3-0 lead with goals from Jay Beagle, Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich.

Of significant concern for Washington is a left leg injury that sent Michal Neuvirth to the locker room, leaving Braden Holtby as the only healthy netminder on the roster.

Mikael Samuelson and Ed Jovanovski scored to start a comeback that fell short for the Panthers, who switched from Jose Theodore to Scott Clemmensen and back to Theodore in the second period.

The Panthers haven’t played a playoff game since 2000. Only six franchises from the four major U.S. sports leagues have gone longer without a postseason appearance: the Buffalo Bills (NFL), Baltimore Orioles (MLB), Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), Kansas City Royals (MLB), Washington Nationals (MLB) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB).

Florida enters the postseason despite dropping eight of its last nine, relying heavily on the losing in overtime and shootouts to gain standings points.

Beagle gave the Capitals the early lead, putting in the rebound after Theodore made a save on Troy Brouwer. It was Beagle’s fourth goal of the season and second in three games.

Ovechkin doubled the lead in the second with his 37th goal of the season, starting the play with a drop pass to Marcus Johansson, then putting in the rebound after Theodore stopped Johansson’s shot.

The goaltender carousel began when Panthers left wing Marco Strum stumbled in front of the Capitals net and fell on Neuvirth’s left leg. Neuvirth lay on the ice, unable to move until play was stopped at 5:39 of the second period. He couldn’t put any weight on his left skate as teammates Ovechkin and Karl Alzner helped him to the bench.

With Tomas Vokoun out indefinitely with a groin injury, the Capitals were forced to go with youngster Holtby, playing only his sixth game of the season. Theodore was then chased by Laich’s drive from the left circle that made it 3-0 at 9:49 of the period. Clemmensen entered, but he faced only one shot before coach Kevin Dineen sent Theodore back in 91 seconds later. Samuelson’s beat Holtby from the left circle to get the Panthers on the board late in the second, and Jovanovski got credit for a deflected goal that pulled the Panthers within one in the first minute of the third.

Alexander Semin scored the insurance goal for the Capitals with 1:02 to play.

The Panthers took an early 3-0 lead on the Jets only to see Winnipeg wake up in the second period and abuse goalie Jose Theodore for the rest of the game. Theodore gave up four goals over the rest of regulation and then gave up the game winner about three minutes into overtime.

Florida has struggled with goalie play all season long. Currently, out of all the teams in the NHL set to make the playoffs, only Philadelphia and Ottawa have given up more goals this season.

The Panthers are in the odd position of being a playoff team that has given up more goals than they have scored. Florida has given up 222 goals this season and scored 197 goals this season.

For the Panthers, they are now literally as close as you can get to being in the playoffs without being in the playoffs. As of Wednesday, Florida has a total of 92 points and leads the Southeast Division by four points over the Washington Capitals.

Florida needs just one point to clinch the division and a playoff spot for the first time in the 2000’s. The Panthers though are nowhere near out of the woods just yet in clinching the division and home ice advantage in the first round.

Florida must travel to Washington Thursday to play the Caps. If Florida loses, Washington will close the gap between the two teams to just two points. That’s when the Buffalo Sabres could also enter into the equation.

Buffalo is currently tied with Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres play the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins on Thursday and Saturday. It’s the toughest schedule any team hands on the way to the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But, if Florida loses on Thursday and Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes; and Buffalo wins out; and Washington beats Florida and the New York Rangers on Saturday; there will be a three-way tie for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Of course the Panthers can end all of the speculation by beating or tying the Capitals on Thursday.

Florida backed themselves into this corner with losses against some of the worst teams in the National Hockey league. Their fate won’t be known until Thursday at the earliest, but a loss will put an immense amount of pressure on the Panthers and so far this season, pressure has been the Achilles heel for Florida.

Ladd’s shot from the right circle hit the far post and went in.

Bryan Little, Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane also scored for the Jets, and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 34 shots.

Tomas Kopecky, Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg and Marco Sturm had goals for Florida, and Jose Theodore made 25 saves. Fleischmann and Versteeg both had an assist.

The Panthers missed a chance to clinch the division and secure their first playoff berth since 2000, but they need only one point in their final two games to hold off Washington.

Florida could have earned a spot in the playoffs if Buffalo had lost in regulation, but the Sabres beat Toronto in overtime.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The last time the Panthers were in the playoffs, Bill Clinton was president, and the economy was booming. Since then, 563 games have gone on the Stanley Cup and more than 200 players have skated for the Panthers.

Florida’s company on the list of major teams without a playoff berth includes: the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and MLB teams the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s not exactly the company you want to keep as a pro sports team.

Entering Tuesday’s contest, the Panthers are ahead of the Washington Capitals in the Southeast Division by three points and are ahead of Buffalo by five points with three games remaining. In other words, the Panthers need just two points to clinch a playoff spot.

The Panthers can clinch the playoff spot at the Bank Atlantic Center with a victory Tuesday night. It would be a long-time coming for the Panthers faithful whose patience has been tried over the last decade by the team’s ownership.

“”You know what? This community and our fans deserve this, and our players know it,” Panthers President Michael Yormark said Monday. “I’ve been traveling with the team for the last week and they feel it, they know it. These fans have supported us for so long. We’ve got a core and this core stuck with us.”

The time the Panthers were in the playoffs, 2012’s leading scorer Stephen Weiss but only a teenager. The last time the Panthers won a playoff game, 1997, even this writer was still a teenager.

This year’s Panthers’ squad was built by general manager Dale Tallon who helped the Chicago Blackhawks end a 49-year playoff drought without a title. Tallon brought over some of his Chicago players to help steer the Panthers in the right direction.

Florida has been stockpiling talent in the minor and junior leagues for the last several years and with Tallon’s help, things have started to come together. The Panthers still have last year’s number three overall pick center Jonathan Huberdeau and future starting goalie Jacob Markstrom.

Huberdeau and Markstrom could be brought up to the NHL roster as soon as next season. But the focus of this team remains on Tuesday night’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Panthers have won three of five from the Jets, but interestingly, the Panthers victories all came in Winnipeg, not in the Bank Atlantic Center. A victory for the Panthers will give them the requisite two points and a playoff spot.

If the Panthers go to overtime, the team will still earn a point and be within one point of a playoff berth. A loss would put immense pressure on the team heading into Thursday’s matchup with second-place Washington.

Regardless of what happens, the Panthers could become the second South Florida team to reach the postseason in the last three years, joining the Miami Heat. The Miami Marlins look like a contender this year as well. The Dolphins are in rebuilding mode again this coming season.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Mikael Samuelsson also scored in regulation for Florida, which outshot Montreal 36-29. The Panthers ended a three-game winless streak and completed a four-game sweep of the season series with Montreal.

The win, combined with Washington’s 5-1 loss at Buffalo, gave the Panthers a five-point lead over the Capitals for first place in the Southeast Division, with a game in hand.

Erik Cole and Louis Leblanc scored for the already-eliminated Canadiens, who have only one win in their last six games.

Trailing 2-1 in the third, Samuelsson tied the game with 7:12 to go when his long wrist shot sailed untouched past Carey Price.

The Panthers got on the board first when Wolski picked up a loose puck at his blue-line, skated down the right side and beat Price with a shot over his glove and off the crossbar with 6:56 left in the first.

Montreal tied it only 56 seconds later on a power play, with Max Pacioretty banking a puck off goalie Scott Clemmensen to Cole, who had an open side of the net to shoot at.

The Panthers outshot Montreal 13-4 in the middle period, but the Canadiens got the only goal as Frederic St. Denis took advantage of a turnover and sent Leblanc in alone to score only his fifth goal in 37 games.

Florida began a four-game road trip that also takes them to Minnesota, Columbus and Detroit.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The Panthers have lost three in a row after winning five straight. Now, the Panthers are hitting the road for what should be an easy road trip and a way to guarantee the team a division title and playoff berth.

The Panthers road trip starts with a game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens are the worst team in the Eastern Conference with just 71 points on the season and a record of 29-24-13. The Canadiens are playing for pride at this point as they have no shot at the playoffs.

After the Montreal game, the Panthers head to Minnesota to play the Wild, who are just one point better than the Canadiens, albeit in the Western Conference. The Cats again shouldn’t have any problems with the Wild, at least on paper.

The Panthers finish the month and the road trip with a game against the worst team in the National Hockey League, the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets are 25-45-7 on the season and have just 55 points on the season.

Again, there’s no reason why the Panthers shouldn’t be favored or win the upcoming games as they fight for playoff positioning.

Three wins and two losses by Buffalo or Washington and the Panthers will lock up a playoff spot for the first time since Bill Clinton occupied the White House.

But, the Panthers had better get those three wins this week because the final four games of the regular season in April are extremely tough. The Cats play the perennial powerhouse that is the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, followed by the Winnipeg Jets, the Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes.

It’s possible the Cats could be looking to claim a playoff spot with the games against the Jets and Capitals next week. But, Florida would be much happier to be able to cruise into the playoffs after winning three straight this week.

The Panthers are on the cusp of going from worst to first in the NHL Southeast Division. It’s no small accomplishment for the squad and says a lot about coach Kevin Dineen and general manager Dale Tallon.

The Panthers will also be just the second South Florida team to reach the playoffs in recent years, joining the powerhouse that is the Miami Heat. The Miami Marlins will fight for a wild card spot this year. The Miami Dolphins are in full-fledged rebuilding mode and may not see the playoffs for a few more years.

Joni Pitkanen had a goal and an assist in his first game in three months, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Florida 3-1 Wednesday night to snap the Panthers’ five-game winning streak.

Eric Staal had his second straight two-goal game — giving him a team-leading 23 — and Cam Ward made 30 saves to help the Hurricanes win their season-best fourth straight and earn points for the 14th time in 17 home games.

Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Southeast Division-leading Panthers, who had been on their longest winning streak since a club-record seven straight in 2008. They were denied their first season sweep in Raleigh.

Jose Theodore stopped 36 shots for Florida. He entered 4-0 this season against the Hurricanes.

Stephen Weiss and Sean Bergenheim both scored, and Clemmensen stopped 35 shots to lead the Panthers to their fifth straight win, 2-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Clemmensen was outstanding for the Southeast leaders, and he outplayed Bryzgalov, who was the NHL’s first star the past two weeks. Bryzgalov had 11 saves.

Clemmensen put Bryzgalov on notice there will be some competition for the honor this week. He stopped all 11 shots in the first period to set the tone and had 12 saves in the third to help the Panthers snap a five-game losing streak to the Flyers.

“I was fortunate to get a couple of saves under my belt, and I just went from there,” Clemmensen said. “For me, it’s a matter of getting into my comfort zone, getting into a flow. Certainly, experience helps you at this time of year, but it’s never easy in this building. We’ll definitely take this.”

Eric Wellwood scored for the Flyers.

Bryzgalov was 8-0-1 with a 1.20 goals against average with four shutouts and a .960 save percentage to help the Flyers win three of four before Tuesday.

Bryzgalov got beat twice, but it was tough to completely blame the resurgent Russian for both goals.

Left alone in the slot, Weiss scored his 18th of the season on a wrist shot high over Bryzgalov for a 1-0 lead in the first.

Both teams were aided by a couple of bounces in the second period.

The Panthers struck first, when the puck bounced off the boards, slid past Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, and right to Bergenheim. He was uncovered during the power play and easily punched in his 17th goal.

The Panthers put another puck in the net, but this one helped the Flyers.

Wellwood’s pass attempt to a charging Danny Briere ricocheted off Florida defenseman Ed Jovanovski’s skate and straight into the net to make it 2-1.

The Flyers wouldn’t get another break.

“I thought we came out a little bit sleepy in the second period for a few minutes,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “They caught a really nice break off the carom off the glass. After that, I think we got back to work.”

Clemmensen, once considered the heir apparent to Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, improved to 12-6-5 this season. He held off a flurry of shots in the final minutes to make the lead stick.

“We need everyone contributing, and we have that,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “We have guys like Scott that are scratching and clawing to get in the lineup, and that showed out there. That’s a product of work ethic, and he deserved the chance. He played well. He made a statement there.”

The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play.

“I thought we played well, but at the same time, we have to drive to the net more, create more traffic in front, stuff like that, to make it harder for their goalie,” Flyers forward Max Talbot said.

The Panthers won five straight games for the first time since their franchise-record, seven-game winning streak in 2008.

Pittsburgh’s 8-4 win over Winnipeg on Tuesday gave the Penguins a four-point lead over the Flyers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference

The Panthers bumped their lead to five points over Washington for first in the Southeast and kept their grasp on the third spot in the Eastern Conference. This is the latest the Panthers have been in first place.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Both teams would have to stumble mightily to miss the postseason and both teams are vying for a potential top three seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Florida is riding its first four-game winning streak since 2008 and has gained points in each of the last five games. The Cats had extended their lead to five points until Monday night when the Washington Capitals closed the lead to three points as Florida was idle.

Florida extended its winning streak over the weekend by winning a thrilling seven-frame shootout with the Buffalo Sabres. Florida goalie Jose Theodore stoned the Sabres at the end as a Sabres player tried to go five-hole on Theodore in the shootout.

“We’ve got a long, long road until the end of the season,” coach Kevin Dineen said. “It’ll be a tough stretch for us. We know there’s some quality teams that we’re going to face, but I like going out on the ice with these guys every day.”

One such tough opponent will be a Philadelphia squad Florida can’t seem to solve.

The Flyers have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 after rallying for a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday, when Scott Hartnell scored his second goal of the game with less than a second remaining in overtime.

Philadelphia is in fifth place in the East, one point behind the fourth-place Penguins and within striking distance of the conference-leading New York Rangers.

Faceoff for the Flyers game is set for 7:00 p.m. in Philadelphia.

The playoffs are just 11 games away in the NHL and Florida is trying its dead-level best not to look too far ahead. Florida’s 4-0 homestand came at a perfect time as the team continues to try to hold off both Washington and Winnipeg to clinch a playoff spot.

It would be the Panthers’ first playoff berth in several years and the remaining schedule is very favorable for the Cats getting a shot at chasing Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Florida plays a back-to-back set of games against the tough Philadelphia Flyers and a not-so-tough Carolina Hurricanes team. The Panthers are looking to avenge their last loss, which was a 5-0 shellacking at the hands of the Flyers. Florida is undefeated against Carolina this season.

After those games, the Panthers get a few games against some of the worst teams in the NHL including: Edmonton, the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We’re not looking ahead but we know we want to bank as many points as we can right now,” said defenseman Ed Jovanovski to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald. “We want to keep climbing the standings as much as we can. There are a handful of games left and they aren’t getting easier. It’s going to be tough getting points now.”

Florida’s last victory, a thrilling overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres, saw the Cats win in an extended shootout that ended with goalie Jose Theodore stoning a Sabres player who tried to go through the five-hole on Jose.

According to the Herald, the Panthers can go 5-5-1 over the remaining games and still have a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs and have an 84 percent chance of winning the division.

If Florida wins the Southeast Division, the team will be the third overall seed in the Eastern Conference. Florida could move as high as second, depending on how the team plays down the stretch.

“Shootout winner? I’ll take it any day,” Kulikov said.

John Madden and Mikael Samuelsson scored in regulation for the Panthers. Jose Theodore made 24 saves.

Derek Roy and Tyler Ennis scored goals for the Sabres, and Ryan Miller stopped 15 shots.

Florida’s Wojtek Wolski and Buffalo’s Ennis each scored in the second round of the shootout. Kulikov backhanded in his goal in the seventh round to give Florida the win.

“To be honest, it was pretty rough out there,” he said. “I didn’t feel very good in the first period. It felt like guys were just flying around and I was just standing there. It got better, I picked up the tempo a bit. I feel pretty good about myself today.”

It was only the third time the defenseman has been in a shootout this season, but Panthers coach Kevin Dineen didn’t have any doubts.

“He was a little deep in the batting order,” he said, “but sometimes you’re looking for a little swagger and Kuli is a cool cat, not a whole lot ruffles him.”

The Panthers won their fourth straight and notched their longest winning streak since a seven-game run March 2-16, 2008, and tied the franchise record with five consecutive home wins. The Panthers are five points ahead of Washington in the Southeast Division.

Neither team got off a shot in the overtime. The Panthers only had one shot in the third period and had a season-low 17 shots.

Buffalo suffered its second consecutive shootout loss.

“Any point you lose right now is a lot. If it was a half a point it would be a lot,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “It’s disappointing. The points in the shootout are big points. I picked one good shooter and six bad ones tonight.”

Trailing 2-1, Buffalo tied it at 2 in the second on Roy’s power-play goal. A shot by Jason Pominville was blocked by Theodore, but the puck bounced out to Roy in the slot and his slap shot beat Theodore on the stick side at 9:41.

Both teams scored on their first shot of the game.

The Sabres scored 1:15 in when Drew Stafford brought the puck along the side boards to the left circle where he backhanded a pass to Ennis in front. His wrist shot went between Theodore’s pads to make it 1-0. Ennis has seven goals and 15 points in his last 16 games.

The Panthers also scored on their first shot, except it didn’t come until 2:45 left in the first. Samuelsson’s slap shot from the top of the right circle during a power play tied it at 1.

The Panthers scored on their second shot of the game 38 seconds later when Madden’s snap shot from the left circle got past Miller to make it 2-1. It was Madden’s second goal in as many games after going scoreless in his first 19 games with the Panthers.

“Right time to do it. We’re starting to hit our stride,” Madden said.

The Sabres have given up late goals in their past two games against Colorado and Montreal to send each game into overtime. They lost to Colorado in a shootout, but beat Montreal in overtime.

“We gave away a point (against Colorado) and felt like we gave one away tonight, so it’s basically a loss,” Miller said. “We’re not making up any ground here.”

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Jose Theodore stopped 24 shots and the Panthers scored three second-period goals Thursday night as they hammered the Boston Bruins, 6-2. Wojtek Wolski, Tomas Kopecky, John Madden, Stephen Weiss, Marcel Goc and Mikael Samuelsson scored for the Panthers. Brian Campbell had three assists.

Florida has won three straight games and Thursday’s victory increased their lead in the Southeast Division to three points ahead of the Washington Capitals.

“We want to play well at home to enthuse our fan base,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “We want to be homers, be a good home team, I think we’ve shown that.”

Boston, which was one of the toughest teams to score on in the NHL, gave up six goals for the second straight game. Star goalie Tim Thomas said his team’s play recently was “twilight zone-ish.” The Bruins are 1 for 15 on the power play over their last seven games.

Florida F Kris Versteeg, tied with Tomas Fleischmann as the team’s leading scorer in goals (22), missed his ninth consecutive game with a lower-body injury.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Sean Bergenheim scored twice and the Panthers beat the Maple Leafs 5-2 on Tuesday night. Florida has won all four meetings with Toronto this season, scoring five goals each time and outscoring the Leafs 20-9.

“I can’t explain against the Leafs what the difference is,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “Sometimes during the course of a season you find a way to get a team’s number. Very fortunate for us this has been one of those teams.”

Marcel Goc and Tomas Kopecky had power-play goals in the third period, Jason Garrison also scored and Jose Theodore stopped 26 shots for the Panthers. Wojtek Wolski had two assists and Bergeneim now has a career-high 16 goals this season.

Mikhail Grabovski and Tyler Bozak scored for the Maple Leafs and James Reimer made 22 saves. The Maple Leafs lost for the 15th time in 17 games (2-13-2).

“Penalty killing has been one of our strong suits in the last little while and it sprung a leak tonight,” Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. “You can’t give up five goals and expect to win in the NHL.”

The Panthers remained atop the Southeast Division, one point ahead of Washington — which beat the New York Islanders in a shootout.

With Florida leading 2-1, Kopecky tipped Garrison’s shot from the high slot past Reimer at 6:07 for the Panthers’ second goal in 20 power-play chances, spanning seven games.

Florida did it again nearly 4 1/2 minutes later when Goc sent the puck over Reimer’s shoulder from in front at 10:28 to increase the lead to three goals.

“We knew the power play needed to put up the momentum, if not some goals,” Garrison said. “We kept things simple and just tried to put pucks on net and we were able to create some stuff out there.”

Grabovski pulled the Leafs to 4-2 when he poked in the rebound of a shot by Luke Schenn with 6:10 to go.

Bergenheim sealed it with his second goal of the game, an empty-netter with 1:20 remaining.

The Panthers scored just 59 seconds into the game. Keaton Ellerby took a shot from above the left circle and Mikael Samuelsson tipped it towards the net and it bounced off Reimer and out to his left, where Bergenheim swept in the loose puck.

Garrison’s goal in the second stretched the lead to 2-0. Goc passed from the right circle and Garrison tipped it in at with 5:17 left for his 15th goal of the season. Garrison is now tied for the Panthers’ franchise record for most goals in a season by a defenseman with Jay Bouwmeester (2008-09 and 2007-08) and Bryan McCabe (2008-09).

Toronto pulled within one as Bozak wristed in the a rebound of a shot by Clarke MacArthur with 58 seconds left in the second. It was the first goal the Leafs scored since Carl Gunnarsson on March 7 at Pittsburgh, a span of 196 minutes, 26 seconds.

Reimer played for the first time since Feb. 28, also against Florida.

“I felt prepared, felt ready,” Reimer said. “It was just unfortunate the way it went.”

Then the Pittsburgh star threw a new one at him.

Malkin loped through the zone, stutter-stepped his way to the front of the net and flipped the puck past Theodore — who vainly thrust his stick in the Russian’s direction — to score in the streaking Penguins’ 2-1 shootout victory Friday night.

“He has a couple tricks up his sleeve,” Theodore said. “He kind of slowed down. I thought maybe was going to go 5-hole. I tried to poke check, but he beat me with a glove shot.”

Malkin is 8 for 11 in shootouts this season for Pittsburgh, which has won eight straight games and is closing in on the New York Rangers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Steve Sullivan scored the tying goal in the third period and James Neal led off the shootout with a goal as the Penguins won for the eighth time this season when trailing after two periods.

“I don’t think we’re anywhere near our best but we found a way to stick around and tie the game and win in a shootout,” said Sullivan, who has 11 points in his last eight games, tied for the league lead with Tampa Bay.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots and was perfect in the shootout for his 36th victory of the season, putting him one behind Nashville’s Pekka Rinne for the NHL lead.

“We always know we can come back and make a run for it,” Fleury said. “I just tried to keep it simple and make some saves.”

Thomas Fleischmann scored his 21st goal of the season for Florida, and Theodore made 33 saves but the goalie was outclassed in the shootout by Neal and Malkin.

Pittsburgh has been arguably the best team in the league since its last game against Florida, a 4-1 victory on the road Jan. 13 that snapped a six-game losing streak and propelled the Penguins to an eight-game tear.

Nearly two months later, they haven’t let up.

Pittsburgh is 20-4-1 in its last 25 games, easily within striking distance of the Rangers with 15 games left in the regular season.

Coach Dan Bylsma said earlier Friday he believes the Rangers can be caught, and with the prospect of captain Sidney Crosby returning from concussion-like symptoms as early as Sunday the Penguins are brimming with confidence.

The Panthers, not so much after losing for the fourth time in five games.

Florida was crushed by the Flyers 5-0 on Thursday night, yet there appeared to be no hangover. The Panthers are adept at bouncing back after getting blown out, coming in with a 3-2-1 record in games after they’ve lost by at least four goals.

That resiliency has enabled Florida to stay atop the crowded — and decidedly mediocre — Southeast Division. If the Panthers can continue to play with the same discipline they showed on Friday, they might be in first when the regular season ends in four weeks.

“We need quality goaltending we need our (defense) making high-end plays,” coach Kevin Dineen said. “It’s disappointing not coming out with two points on this road trip, that would have been nice. But it certainly was a hard-earned point tonight.”

Pittsburgh was supposed to be refreshed following a welcomed day off, yet the Panthers were the ones who appeared to be a step ahead at times. They held the high-flying Penguins in check for most of the night and stayed out of the penalty box.

Fleischmann opened the scoring midway through the second period on a give-and-go of sorts. The left winger worked the boards and fed Wojtek Wolski in the slot before darting to the net. Wolski’s shot went wide of the goal and took a big bounce off the boards and onto Fleishmann’s stick. Fleury never had a chance and the Panthers had the lead.

It lasted until early in the third period when Jordan Staal created a turnover and fed the streaking Sullivan. The veteran slipped the puck by Theodore for his 14th goal of the season.

The Penguins appeared to move in front with 11:07 to play in regulation when Pascal Dupuis stuffed the puck by Theodore. The goal was waved off following a review, with officials ruling the puck didn’t go all the way over the red goal line before Theodore swiped it out of danger.

Pittsburgh had several chances to end it before the shootout, none better than Staal’s wide-open rebound that somehow flew over the net.

No matter, Malkin and Neal continued their superb work in shootouts, easily handling Theodore to prevent the goalie from picking up his 21st career victory against the Penguins.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Florida has stockpiled its farm system over the years with some of the best prospects in the league. At the forefront of those prospects is up-and-coming goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The Swedish-born Markstrom is a beast standing 6’6” and weighing just less than 200 pounds. According to NHL.com, he’s likely to make the biggest splash in the league starting next season.

Markstrom, 22, has spent a few years honing his game and is said to challenge shooters effectively and has excellent instincts. Markstrom stopped 121 of 128 shots during a four-game stint with Florida this year and then had minor surgery on his knee.

Upon his return from his knee surgery to San Antonio, Markstrom again became the goalie everyone thought he could be by stopping 119 of 125 shots in a four-game appearance. He’s going to finish the season with the San Antonio Rampage, but if healthy will start next season with the big club.

He’ll have to beat out incumbent Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen, but the Panthers have been grooming him as the goalie of the future and that future looks like it will be in 2012-2013.

In addition, they have former number three overall pick Jonathan Huberdeau working on gaining some weight before coming up to the big squad.

The 6’1’, 171 pound 18-year-old Canadian threatened to join the club this season, but Panthers management wanted to hold him back until he developed more muscle mass to protect him in the NHL.

Marcel Goc, Krystofer Barch and Mikael Samuelsson scored second-period goals and the Panthers rallied to beat the Senators for the first time in 10 games, 4-2 on Sunday night.

The Panthers were coming off a 7-0 loss at Winnipeg on Thursday night and a 3-1 loss to Nashville on Saturday night. They picked up an important two points as they try to maintain their Southeast Division lead.

Jack Skille added a goal with 1:26 left, Jose Theodore made 23 saves, and Mike Weaver had two assists to help the Panthers beat the Senators for the first time since a 3-0 victory in Ottawa in January 2010.

“It was good to get a win finally in front of these fans that are itching for the playoffs,” Skille said. “We want to make sure that we come back with a lot of push at the end of the season here.”

Jared Cowen and Chris Neil scored in the first period for Ottawa, and Robin Lehner stopped 24 shots.

“I think the whole team collapsed a little bit and they came out very hungry,” Lehner said.

The Panthers took the lead on Samuelsson’s power-play goal with 8:57 left in the second. Stephen Weiss passed from below the left circle to Samuelsson in front and he wristed the puck past Lehner.

Goc and Barch scored in a 2:21 span early in the second to tie it. Goc deflected Weaver’s shot from the right circle over Lehner at 33 seconds, and Barch skated in on Lehner and beat him to the stick side at 2:54. It was Barch’s first goal in 21 games.

“It just comes down to work, this time of year especially,” Barch said. “Every team has got talent, you’ve just got to outwork the team across.”

The Senators looked as if they were going to rout the Panthers when they took the 2-0 lead in the first, but the Panthers bounced back.

“Our competition level after the first period stayed the same and theirs obviously elevated to a higher level,” Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said. “Instead of raising our competition level as the game went on to meet theirs, we got frustrated.”

The Senators opened the scoring on Cowen’s goal with 6:37 left in the first. Cowen brought the puck off the side boards and fired a shot from about 10 feet inside the blue line.

Neil made it 2-0 with 1:28 left in the period. Theodore blocked Jim O’Brien’s shot, but the puck bounced out to the slot and Neil grabbed it and got a shot by Theodore.

“When you get as thoroughly outplayed as we did in the first period, I think there has to be some kind of a response,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “To the credit of our leadership group, to our worker bees, to our team as a whole, we never gave up. The response was extremely strong.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)