SUNRISE, Fla. — Joel Quenneville will be the first to tell you nobody loves winning more than he does. And it's hard to dispute that.
Chicago saw it first-hand for a decade after he helped guide the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups. The hunger only intensifies once you get a taste of what it feels like to be on top.
And now Quenneville is trying to recapture that feeling in Florida.
Going into the final day of February, the Panthers sit four points out of a playoff spot. They're battling for their lives in an Eastern Conference that's as competitive as ever and can get in by securing the third seed in the Atlantic Division or one of the two wildcard positions.
But according to Money Puck, the Panthers have a 23.5 percent chance of making the playoffs. The cards are stacked against them and every point feels like life or death as they approach the final 18 games.
The Panthers haven't tasted the postseason in four years. Quenneville hasn't in three. How badly does he want to get back there and do it with his new team?
"In the worst way," Quenneville said. "That’s what it's all about. There’s a lot of people in the same position we are. I know that Toronto, we lost a huge game the other day that put us in a tougher, tougher spot, so we want to put ourselves back where all of a sudden it’s within reach. But as an underdog right now, that’s how we’ve got to look at it and find ways to chip away and put ourselves back in the mix. But that’s the only thing we want to do."
NHL
Saturday will be Quenneville's second meeting against the Blackhawks after the Panthers came away with a 4-3 victory in his return to Chicago on Jan. 21 to extend their winning streak to a season-long six games going into the NHL All-Star break. It was their best stretch of the season and everything was beginning to click.
But since that game, the Panthers are 5-9-1 and haven't had a home win since Jan. 16. They're desperately searching for answers and are running out of time to find them.
"It's been a tough stretch since then," Quenneville said. "We had everything going our way at that point and we're trying to recapture that confidence and momentum is what we're looking to do. We know we've got to put something together like that to put ourselves in a position where we want to be in the end, so we've got to take care of business here at home and find a way to do the right things start to finish."
Attention Dish and Sling customers! You have lost your Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago. To switch providers, visit mysportschicago.com.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Blackhawks easily on your device.