Although the Panthers suffered a 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, Tim Thomas remains upbeat about the direction of this team. "We're picking up some momentum, doing some good things," said Thomas. "We're a much better team than we were in October. If we keep making strides, that's the direction we want to go." Even still, Florida's chances of making the playoffs are slim. They have a 15-20-6 record, which puts them nine points shy of a postseason berth.