There's no time to waste for Florida in the Atlantic Division, which last season had the two best teams in the Eastern Conference (Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins). Nine of the Panthers' first 13 games are against a team that made the playoffs last season, including a home-and-home against the Lightning beginning with the opener at Tampa Bay on Oct. 3. Florida cannot afford the slow starts that plagued it the past two seasons. The Panthers were 20-22-6 in their first 48 games of 2017-18 before finishing 24-8-2, one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Last season, Florida was 2-5-3 after 10 games, 20-20-8 after 48, and ended up 12 points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the conference.