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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. 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. Cheap Jordan 13 Retro Australia . For the first time all night, as the Raptors were on the clock to make the 20th overall selection, no one had the slightest idea what was about to happen. No leaks, no whispers, nothing. Air Jordan 13 Online Australia . Its the games against the leagues struggling franchises that have proved to be an issue. http://www.cheapairjordan13australia.com/ . Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. Serge Ibaka returned to the Thunder lineup from a calf injury that was supposed to sideline him for the remainder of the postseason and the results were sparkling. Air Jordan 13 Retro Australia . Before that, Rousey needed a total 23 minutes and 26 seconds to take care of her last eight opponents - and one of those fights lasted 10 minutes and 58 seconds. Jordan 13 Cheap For Sale .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.In an effort to restart collective bargaining talks with the CFL, the Players Association submitted a new four-year offer to the league Monday, TSN learned Monday night. The unions new offer included reductions on several financial proposals from ones made in its previous offer made last week. But the league swiftly rejected the new numbers, pushing the players closer to considering a work stoppage. In a memo obtained by TSN, the players financial proposals included a $5.2 million salary cap in 2014 ($4.8 million minimum) that grew to $6.0 million ($5.4 million minimum) after four seasons. Minimum salaries would start at $50,000 dollars in 2014, and grow to $53,000 by 2017. Last week, the players offered a $5.8 million salary cap that would grow 3% annually. But the crux of the unions financial recommendations was a "Revenue Protection Clause" created to set a threshold to renegotiate the salary cap if the CFLs aggregate revenues drastically increased. In the third year of a new deal, the players would want to renegotiate the cap if league revenues increased $12 million from the previous year. In the players newest offer, the threshold would be set at $18 million. The union also revised pension contributions ($4,000 per player and $4,000 per club), and "Compensation for Veterans for Increase in Salary Expenditure Caap" set at $8,500 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies.dddddddddddd And the union maintained its desire to discuss other points, including practice times and numbers of contact practices, and salary protection and medical treatment if players are injured late in season. At the beginning of the memo the Players Association describes its offer as "more favourable." Last week, the CFL offered a $5 million cap and a threshold to reopen discussions on the salary cap limit if league-wide revenues increased by $27 million from the previous year, also in the third season of a new CBA. Hours before the current CBA expired, commissioner Mark Cohon called it the leagues "final" offer. The CFL has evidently not moved from that position, and quickly rejected the players offer. "[The CFL] indicated that they see no point in meeting unless we are prepared to accept their offer," reads the Players Associations memo. "It is obvious to your Negotiating Committee that notwithstanding our effort to resolve this matter, the only possible way of convincing them that they should reconsider their position will be with a work stoppage." The Players Associations memo closes by stating players will be advised what the unions next move is once strike ballots from Calgary and Edmonton are counted. ' ' '