The Florida Panthers can take over first place in the Eastern Conference tonight by beating the Sabres.
Yes, that's right, the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers won their third straight game Thursday night, riding 40 saves from Jose Theodore to a 2-0 victory over Boston. The win gave them 36 points, just one behind Philadelphia. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Panthers were first in the Eastern Conference after October was Feb. 12, 1997 (28-15-13, 69 points).
"We have to keep this going. We’re playing confident right now," forward Tomas Kopecky told the Miami Herald. "We’re trying to prove those people [wrong] who never believed in us. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it."
The Panthers lead the Southeast Division by seven points over Washington. Florida will be in the same conference as the Sabres when the league realigns.
---John Vogl
