Feb 2, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends his net against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Injuries, Goalies Putting Panthers in Danger of Missing Playoffs

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Tyler Miller | Last updated Feb 8, 2026 7:00 AM ET

With the Olympic break being here and fans and NHL teams around the league finally being able to take a proper look at the standings, something might jump out. The Florida Panthers, who won the last two Stanley Cups over the Edmonton Oilers, are sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The back-to-back champs are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in quite a while, and there are reasons for that. Before the season even started, their captain Aleksander Barkov injured himself in training camp and has been out all year after having knee surgery back in September.

Losing your captain before the season even starts and being without him all year as he is a crucial part to the Panthers roster has been a tough task. The Panthers were also without Matthew Tkachuk for quite a bit after he had sports hernia surgery in the offseason. They also have been missing Tomas Nosek, Jonah Gadjovich, Dmitry Kulikov, and Seth Jones, who are all on IR.

And the fact that the Panthers have not been getting great goaltending either, as Sergei Bobrovsky or Danii Tarasov both have not performed very well this season. Bobrovsky has started in 39 games this season and has a record of 21-17-4 with a GAA of 3.03 and a save percentage of .871.

As for Tarasov, he has started in 18 games this year and has a GAA of 2.74 with a save percentage of .899. Those kinds of numbers from both goalies on a team that is built to contend is not going to cut it. Both goalies are going to need to perform better if they want to go on a run and get into the playoffs.

Florida has teams to jump, but it is not impossible to still make the playoffs

Head coach Paul Maurice is a coach that knows how to win and what it takes to win. And for now, if the season were to end today, Maurice's team would miss the postseason, but the race is not over yet.

They have plenty of teams they have to jump, but if Maurice were to get some of his currently injured players back alongside some better goaltending, the Panthers should not be counted out. The Panthers are a team that could give anyone trouble in the postseason if they are to make it.

But it is going to take plenty of miracles for this to happen. It is not impossible, but right now with how injured their team is and how inconsistent the goaltending has been, it does not seem likely.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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