in the standings (6 points ahead with 12 games to play) and are basically on a level playing field with Tampa Bay, Washington, and Philadelphia in this round robin for the top seeds.
I'll say this though, if the Panthers are going to go far. With the time-off they got from the shut down, I think their offense benefits more than any other team.
Question: so do the lower seeds have their match-ups, and the top 4 seeds have a bye for the first round?
https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-reveals-format-24-team-223523980.html