Florida Panthers Playoff Chances: Can Aleksander Barkov and co move closer when they take on Ottawa?

With the NHL rapidly approaching, the Florida Panthers find themselves in one of the Eastern Conference's Wild Card spots.

The Panthers find themselves with the same amount of points as the New York Islanders and are one point ahead of Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Although it is only a one-point lead over the Penguins, the Panthers find themselves in control of their destiny. The Islanders, Penguins, and Panthers all have four games remaining. Unfortunately, for Florida, they have the strongest remaining schedule. If they are to make the postseason, they will need to earn it.

"Good morning, Cats fans. Another game day. A win and your are one step closer to a playoff spot. Scoreboard watch: Minnesota at Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay at NYI. Let’s go, South Florida! #TimeToHunt" - Locked on FLORIDA Panthers (40-31-7)

The Panthers will secure a spot in the playoffs if they win the remainder of their games. However, if they can get some help from other teams they may secure a spot before the end of the regular season.

If the Minnesota Wild defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as if the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the New York Islanders, it could go a long way for the Panthers. That being said, the Panthers will need to secure victories against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals if they want to help their cause.

"The Ottawa Senators ain’t dead yet. While the #FlaPanthers hope to keep their wild card status, the Sens are just trying to get back in the race." - George Richards

Of the four remaining games for Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers, they will be matched up against two of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference: the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A look at the numbers behind the Florida Panthers' playoff chances

It may come down to the Penguins and Islanders losing some of their remaining games, as the Panthers have the toughest remaining schedule of the three.

"Between the Panthers and the teams they're battling with for the two Wild Card spots, things went exactly as Florida would've hoped on Tuesday. Tonight could shape up similarly and go a long way toward solidifying the Cats' playoff position. THN preview:" - David Dwork

According to powerrankingsguru.com, the Florida Panthers hold a 74.9% chance of reaching the postseason. On the other hand, the Islanders are sitting at 76.9% with the Penguins at 45.3%.