Offtopic » The Florida Panthers are hoping

SUNRISE Martin Frk Jersey , Fla. (AP) — for deja vu.Sort of.A year ago, the Panthers shook off a disastrous start to the season and caught fire after the All-Star break — only to miss the playoffs by a single point. This year, they’re heading into the break on a three-game winning streak and playing perhaps their best hockey of the season after spending the first three months of the year sputtering near the bottom of the NHL.So here they go again, trying for another late and improbable playoff push.“We have that confidence back, that swagger,” goaltender Roberto Luongo said after a 6-2 win over San Jose on Monday night.They’ll need more than swagger.The Panthers were 24-8-2 in the final 34 games last season, getting 50 of a possible 68 points down the stretch. This year, with 34 games left when they return to the ice on Feb. 1, they’ll need a similar run. Florida is 10 points out of the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, and 11 points from catching Boston for the third and final guaranteed playoff spot out of the Atlantic Division.“I think we are starting to turn the corner,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “We have a long way to go.”As unlikely as it seems — especially for the Panthers http://www.officialredwings.com/authentic-adidas-mike-green-jersey , an often-woebegone franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since 1996 — there is a potential path to the postseason.Florida (20-20-8) has 12 games between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23, and 11 of those are on home ice. That’s the good news. The flip side is this: Of those 12, eight are against teams that are currently in the top half of the NHL, including matchups with Tampa Bay, Nashville, Washington, Pittsburgh and Vegas quickly after the All-Star break ends.“It’s nice to be back to feeling the way I like to feel and the confidence is there,” said Luongo, who has won consecutive starts for the first time in more than a month. “The guys are playing well in front of me. It’s a two-way street. When the guys play well I feel good and when I feel good the guys play well.”There is a clear urgency, and it started last week with the team on what was then a seven-game losing skid.Florida was without Vincent Trocheck for 27 games after he broke his right ankle in November. When he returned to practice last week, the Panthers’ plan was to keep him out until after the break in order to make sure he was fully ready to go.Trocheck successfully argued otherwise. Not only did he play in three games since returning to practice — in a four-day span Nick Jensen Jersey , no less — the Panthers went 3-0-0 in those games, clearly sparked by his comeback.“We’re having fun,” said Trocheck, who has two goals and two assists since returning. “It’s fun to win some hockey games. It’s been tough for us this year in that department. To go into a break like this with a little bit of momentum, having some fun, it’s going to make a big difference for the second half.” NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pekka Rinne is starting to regain some of his Vezina Trophy form he showed last season.And the Predators, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner, are finally developing some consistency.Rinne shut out Toronto for the second time this season and Brian Boyle, Wayne Simmonds and Filip Forsberg scored goals to give the Predators a 3-0 win over the slumping Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.“You can sense that in the locker room the confidence is getting higher and it’s a funny thing how it goes,” Rinne said. “But it’s the best thing in the world winning some games in a row.”Nashville won its third straight and Toronto lost for the fourth time in five games.Rinne made 22 saves for his 55th career shutout. Nashville also beat Toronto 4-0 on Jan. 7 when Rinne made 18 saves.Nashville became the second team in NHL history to sweep a two-game series with Toronto with a pair of shutouts. Philadelphia is the only other team to do that in 1992-93.Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen made 17 stops.“They’re a proven playoff team and they’ve been playing like that for a while Thomas Vanek Jersey ,” Andersen said of the Predators, who made it to the second round last season and the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.“They don’t give up too many shots and too many chances, so that’s playoff-type hockey and that’s something we’ve got to get used to.”Nashville pulled within one point of first-place Winnipeg in the Central Division. But the Predators have played two more games.Toronto fell six points behind second-place Boston in the Atlantic Division.Boyle gave the Predators a 1-0 lead when he sent a one-timer from the slot past Andersen glove-side at 4:47 of the first period.It was his 18th goal of the season and fifth since joining Nashville on Feb. 7 after a trade with New Jersey.Ryan Johansen recorded his 48th assist, a career high, on the goal.“Joey makes a nice read and knocks the puck down and throws a really nice pass,” Boyle said. “He knew they were out there for a bit and thought they were tired. It was fun to be part of.”Nashville made it 2-0 when Simmonds poked a shot into an open net after taking a perfectly placed pass from Ryan Ellis at 9:13 of the third period.It was his first goal as a Predator since arriving in a deal with Philadelphia minutes before the trade deadline. He has 17 goals on the season.“It was a strong 60-minute effort and I thought we were good from the net out tonight,” Simmonds said. “I think we’re starting to gel. We’ve added a few pieces. Pekka is unbelievable, unreal. It seems like he just stops everything. Him and Juuse (Saros) are two of the best goalies in the league.”Forsberg added an empty-netter with 2:09 left.Defense took over in the second period when Toronto held Nashville to two shots and the Maple Leafs managed just eight.Rinne made a sprawling save to rob John Tavares four minutes into the third period. Tavares leads the Leafs with 40 goals.“It was a pretty traditional 3 on 2,” Rinne said. “The rebound was right there for Tavares and I just knew that I had to get something over there. I guess it’s desperation — just threw my hand and my leg out there and it happened to hit me.”Toronto allowed 23 goals in its previous four games as it went 1-3-0.NOTES: Toronto RW Kasperi Kapanen returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games with a concussion. … Slumping Nashville C Kyle Turris was back in the lineup after being benched the previous two games. He played on the fourth line with LW Brian Boyle and RW Rocco Grimaldi. “(Brian Boyle) has seamlessly fit into our group,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. “He’s been a real valuable part of our play lately.”UP NEXTToronto: Visits Buffalo on Wednesday night.Nashville: Hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night.