At this point last week, the Florida Panthers looked like a team on its way to securing a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Panthers were in the midst of a 7-1-1 stretch and had caught up to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoff chase.

But things change quickly in a race this tight and three losses on the spin have the Cats reeling.

Florida is now three points behind Pittsburgh and four behind the Islanders after the weekend.

Monday’s game in Ottawa is a must-win for Florida.

(7 p.m. ET., ESPN+)

But just because a team is in a must-win situation doesn’t mean it’s automatically the right side to bet.

In fact, usually the opposite is true.

Bookmakers weren’t born yesterday and know that punters will naturally get behind the team in desperation mode, so in most cases, you’ll have to pay a bit of a premium to back it.

It is hard to trust the Senators right now.

Ottawa is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games and is missing its two regular goaltenders plus top-pair defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, but the Sens still remain a dangerous team in a spot like this thanks to an offense that has the star power needed to win high-event hockey games.

In all likelihood, money will come in on the Panthers, so you’ll be able to wait out the market and get a decent number on a pesky team that won’t just roll over because Florida needs this win.

The Play: Senators +119 (FanDuel)