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I think there’s a reasonable argument to be made that Gerard Gallant’s Florida Panthers are the ultimate X-Factor as it pertains to the Eastern Conference playoff race, primarily due to the fact that most prognosticators had this team suffering through another tough year as their young team develops. Leon Jacobs Jersey . The fact that Florida has suddenly developed into a quality playoff hockey team has to be particularly disheartening to the couple of Eastern Conference teams who are hanging on for dear life right now. In particular, Toronto. One of the biggest – and really, only – endorsements one can give Randy Carlyle’s team right now is that there isn’t a whole lot of competition outside of the top eight with the ability to throw them from a potential playoff berth. Beyond that, the Maple Leafs once again stand on shaky ground. What makes Florida particularly fascinating as a contender is that it seems as though everything’s come together at the right time. Obviously, competition isn’t ripe right now in the East. But, they’ve benefited greatly from a combination of faster-than-expected player development and the venerable Roberto Luongo in net, who is able to bail the team out of trouble when things get dicey. As to this Panthers team as a whole – let’s first look at the team historically. It’s important to remember that this isn’t a team that’s really ever been ‘above average’ for a lengthy period of time, especially in the analytics era (2007-Present). The red vertical dotted line signifies the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. Notice two things – one, Florida has been able to control possession this season consistently above break-even, and two, it’s verging towards becoming the highest point of success for this team in the last eight years. The laundry list of young talent keying this run is something to behold: Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, and Aaron Ekblad are something of a ‘big five’, all at or under the age of 22. The amazing thing? Every one of these players is in the black as it pertains to Corsi%. In a league where being successful at an extremely young age is quite difficult, the Panthers are making it look relatively easy. The play of these youngsters is one of the big reasons why they’ve picked up 40 points in 33 games, and the team’s collective underlying numbers continue to spike. To illustrate that climb, let’s look at the Eastern Conference by Score-Adjusted Corsi% over the last twenty games, to see how the Panthers stack up recently against other playoff hopefuls. Over the last twenty games, only three Eastern Conference teams – Tampa Bay, Detroit, and the New York Islanders, all of whom feel like playoff locks – control play better at 5-on-5 than Florida. And, perhaps more importantly, they sit significantly ahead of other teams fighting for those final playoff berths. But, as we know all too well, simply controlling play at 5-on-5 does not guarantee victory. Goaltending is a crucial part of hockey, and even quality possession teams – like, say, this year’s Minnesota Wild! – have extreme difficulty winning with ugly save percentages. Here’s where the acquisition of Roberto Luongo comes into play. We know, based on years and years of performance, that Roberto Luongo is a great goaltender. So, whereas a .927 EVSV% for one team may be a bit suspicious, it’s not for Florida – a team with a goaltender as established as any in the National Hockey League. Luongo, over the past few years, is just about as good as it gets in the crease. A quick comparison of his performance against other regular goaltenders in the Eastern Conference highlights just how awesome he has been. (Note: bubble size indicates ice-time; the larger the bubble, the more the goalie has played). Henrik Lundqvist is universally accepted as one of the league’s three best goaltenders. His performance since 2010 is virtually indiscernible from that of Roberto Luongo. So, here’s what we have in Florida: a team that generally out-shoots the competition, backstopped by one of the league’s better goaltenders. In a league where sixteen of thirty teams reach the post-season, and barring something drastically changing, that’s generally going to be enough to get beyond game eighty-two. Oh, and one more thing. The Cats currently have over $10-million in cap space, which makes them a team to watch both on and off of the ice over the next few months. Ronnie Harrison Jersey . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. Logan Cooke Jersey .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. http://www.cheapjaguarsjerseyschina.com/ .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes.TORONTO - The Los Angeles Kings will hoist the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row and third time in four years, according to a simulation of the 2014-15 season by EA Sports.Generated by the made-in-Vancouver NHL 15 video game, the EA Sports simulation has the Kings winning the Cup in six games over the Boston Bruins.Boston tops the East with 103 points during the regular season while Chicago finishes first in the West with 106 points. The Kings place fifth in the West with 95 points.The Montreal Canadiens (sixth place with 94 points) and Toronto Maple Leafs (eighth place with 92 points, wild card) both make the playoffs in the East. The Vancouver Canucks (eighth place with 91 points, wild card) are the lone Canadian team to advance in the West.The Ottawa Senators are 16th in the East with 71 points.The Capitals cant overcome an Alex Ovechkin injury and finish 12th in the East while the 11th-place Red Wings see their record of 23 years straight making the playoffs finally snapped.Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary prop up the bottom of the Western Conference with the Oilers 12th (83 points)), the Jets 13th (82 points) and the Flames 14th (64 points). Buy Cheap Jaguars Jerseys. os Angeles defeats San Jose in six games and the Dallas Stars in seven before edging the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games in the Western Conference final.The Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games in the Eastern Conference final after disposing of the Leafs in seven games in the opening round and then the Flyers in four.Montreal is ousted by Tampa Bay in six games in the first round of the playoffs. The Canucks exit after five games in the first round at the hands of the Hawks.The simulation also predicts:a€” Anze Kopitar of the Kings wins the Conn Smythe and Selke trophies.a€” Penguins star Sidney Crosby adds to his hardware collection by winning the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award.a€” Arizonas Oliver Ekman-Larsson collects the James Norris Memorial Trophy.a€” Montreals Carey Price wins the Vezina Trophy.a€” Chicagos Patrick Kane earns the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.a€” Tampas Jonathan Drouin picks up the Calder Memorial Trophy. Cheap Chargers Hoodies Cheap Browns Hoodies Cheap Texans Hoodies Cheap Ravens Hoodies Cheap Panthers Hoodies Cheap Jets Hoodies Cheap Titans Hoodies Cheap Chiefs Hoodies Cheap Bills Hoodies Cheap Colts Hoodies Cheap Cardinals Hoodies Cheap Buccaneers Hoodies Cheap Rams Hoodies Cheap Jaguars Hoodies Cheap Falcons Hoodies Cheap Bengals Hoodies ' ' '