| The Panthers were jubilant even with a 4-2 loss. (Getty Images) |
WASHINGTON -- One game, two playoff berths decided. That's how it played out in Washington on Thursday night. Two playoff berths that can't be much different.
Because of the Sabres' loss to the Flyers, the Florida Panthers ... wait for it ... clinched a playoff berth. They backed in with the siren a beeping, but they are in the playoffs. That's the first time since 1999-2000. So that's cause for celebration, no matter how they got in, at least for their fans back in Florida.
But on the ice they lost to the Capitals 4-2. That was enough to send the Caps to the playoffs too. After a tumultous season that has been brutal almost the whole way, it's a sign of relief. With the expectations placed on this team in this region, that's a definite sigh of relief.
Back to the Panthers. They found out just as they were leaving the ice after losing their eighth game in nine outings that the Sabres had lost and they were going to the playoffs. Did they back in? Sure. Did they care?
"No. You think it bothers me?" longtime Panthers center Stephen Weiss said with a toothy smile of relief and excitement. "I couldn't care less how we get in."
Weiss has been there through thick and thin. Drafted by the Panthers in the 2001 draft, he has been in the NHL for 10 seasons. The first nine were done after 82 games. But not the 10th.
"It feels good really. Like I said it's been tough," Weiss said. "It's been a long 10 years. You wonder if you're doing the right thing. At the end of the day it was worth staying. It's worth trusting Dale and there's a lot of good years to come here. There's a lot of good kids coming up who are special and I want to be a part of it.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet, so I'm really excited."
Just check out the relief on his face after the yourself (thanks to George Richards of the Miami Herald for the video).
It was still a little bittersweet. Again, they were slipping toward the playoffs as if they were walking across a million marbles. The only thing missing to their last nine games has been the Benny Hill music to accompany things.
"You're pissed about about how everything went today," Kris Versteeg said, admitting to some mixed emotions. "We played better than they did for sure. We played hard tonight and we're rewarded with Philadelphia having a big game for us."
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Perhaps now the load of clinching is gone and they can relax a bit for their final game of the regular season. It's still a big one. They need just one point to win the Southeast Division and take the third seed in the East instead of finishing eighth and drawing the Rangers.
"It's definitely a relief," Versteeg said. "We've had a tough time closing it out and obviously other teams had to kind of do it for us. We should feel fortunate in here then get ready for the playoffs because we're excited.
"We've got to get a big point on Saturday. Or maybe New York [Rangers] can help us out again too."
And hey, look at that, the Southeast is getting two teams into the playoffs after all.
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