The Panthers are suddenly a legitimate playoff threat

The Florida Panthers lost to the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Lightning Tuesday in overtime, snapping a six-game winning streak, and while the loss was tough to swallow after battling back from a  4-2 deficit in the third to force OT, it was indicative of just how well Florida has played of late.

The Panthers have thrust themselves into the playoff conversation thanks to that six-game winning streak and become a threat in the East as they sit just two points out of a Wild Card spot. Prior to Tuesday night's loss, the Panthers defeated some of the top teams in the conference — including the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers — showing they can not only compete with, but defeat the top dogs.

However, do they have enough in the tank to sustain this recent run of success and force their way into the postseason?

In the short term, they can take advantage of their upcoming schedule. Florida has shown that it can beat top contending teams, going 13-3-1 since the All-Star break and notching victories against those aforementioned East leaders while standing toe to toe with the mighty Lightning. Florida's next run of opponents includes non-playoff contenders like like the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, and the only contender the Panthers face in their next seven contests is the Boston Bruins.

They'll need to keep winning because as favorable as the schedule is for the Panthers in the immediate future, the same can be said of the Columbus Blue Jackets — the team that sits two points ahead of Florida in the standings. The Blue Jackets are coming off a victory against Las Vegas, their second straight win, and play four of their next five games at home. If Florida slacks off even just a little bit, the team could find itself with more work to do in the final sprint to the postseason just to have a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Looking long term, the Panthers will have to keep scoring goals to keep up with the big dogs in the Eastern Conference. They have four players with 20-plus goals on the season, with Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck leading the charge with 25 apiece. Winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman Keith Yandle are right on Barkov's heals in the assist department as well, with 38 and and 36 respectively.

Speaking of Yandle, the vet leads a young defensive corps that is starting to rise to the occasion. Aaron Ekblad has stepped his game up during this positive stretch for Florida. Fellow blue liner Mike Matheson has also contributed more, registering two goals in Florida's 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Feb. 17.

In order to keep up their winning ways and make a real playoff push, the Panthers must focus on themselves and continue to get better.

"We have a lot of games to play, and we can’t rely on other teams to help us out," winger Nick Bjugstad recently told the press. "A spark has been lit, and we are meshing well. There’s no stopping here."