Ed Jovanovski News

Not what you would call ideal preperation for the grueling, condensed, 48-game season tye Panthers faced after the lockout ended.

Florida Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom stops Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Benoit Pouliot on a penalty shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Tampa, Fla.

About a year ago, the Panthers left their exit meetings with coach Kevin Dineen and General Manager Dale Tallon with their heads held high after taking the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Devils to a Game 7 double-overtime loss in Florida's first playoff series in an NHL-record 10 seasons.

On the same evening the NFL Draft was being held, the Panthers guaranteed themselves at the very least the second overall pick in the June 30 NHL Draft by losing, 4-0, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the final home game of the season at the BB&T Center on Thursday night.

The Panthers have had ample opportunity to slow down the playoff aspirations of opponents for the past couple of weeks.

The 2013 NHL playoffs are right around the corner, which is good news for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks - they are in the postseason after all.

Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov went down in the third period of the Panthers' 3-0 loss to Boston this afternoon after getting tangled up with Jaromir Jagr .