The Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets will go at it again on Sunday in a game between two teams heading in different directions.

Florida has won five consecutive games, a fantastic response to the one losing streak this team has had all season.

Columbus, after losing 5-2 here Saturday night, has lost its past two games and six of the past seven.

Although the team played well in Tampa — and likely deserved better than a 3-2 loss on Thursday — time is running out.

With 17 games remaining, the Jackets need every win they can get if they want to stay in the playoff picture.

Losing Sunday to the Panthers may be the death knell for a Columbus squad barely hanging on.

Especially with two games against Tampa Bay coming up next week in central Ohio.

And, with the trade deadline coming next Monday at 3 p.m., unless Columbus puts some wins together — starting now — GM Jarmo Kekalainen may be forced into selling mode for the first time in years.

Look at where these two teams stand: Florida, by virtue of its five straight wins, are tied with Tampa Bay atop the NHL standings as both have 54 points.

The Panthers, with 18 games left, are making the playoffs.

Columbus, on the other hand, fell to seventh in the Central Division standings with Saturday’s loss.

Although the Jackets have the same amount of points (36) as Dallas does, the Stars have played four fewer games.

That is eight points sitting on the windowsill for the Stars.

Per MoneyPuck.com, the Jackets have just a 3.5 percent chance of making the playoffs going into Sunday’s game; Dallas is at 43.6 percent.

Florida, meanwhile, is a near lock at 99.8 percent.

The Jackets are five points back of Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Central and three back of fifth-place Chicago.

Although that fourth place position is still wide open, does Columbus feel it has a team that can do anything even if it were to finish strong and make it?

A loss to the Panthers on Sunday may answer that question for them.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers

PROJECTED FLORIDA PANTHERS LINES

FLORIDA FORWARDS

19 Mason Marchment — 16 Sasha Barkov — 23 Carter Verhaeghe

11 Jonathan Huberdeau — 21 Alex Wennberg — 70 Patric Hornqvist

77 Frank Vatrano — 55 Noel Acciari — 74 Owen Tippett

83 Juho Lammikko — 27 Eetu Luostarinen — 94 Ryan Lomberg

FLORIDA DEFENSEMEN

42 Gus Forsling — 52 MacKenzie Weegar

3 Keith Yandle — 7 Radko Gudas

65 Markus Nutivaara — 61 Riley Stillman

FLORIDA GOALIES

60 Chris Driedger

72 Sergei Bobrovsky

Scratches: F Brett Connolly, D Anton Stralman, D Matt Kiersted

Injured: F Anthony Duclair (shoulder); D Aaron Ekblad (left leg)

Taxi squad: D Kevin Connauton, F Aleksi Heponiemi, D Brady Keeper, G Spencer Knight, G Philippe Desrosiers

Traded on Friday: F Vinnie Hinostroza (Chicago)

Florida power play (29/121 24% — 9th in NHL)

Florida penalty kill (91/113 80.5% — 12th in NHL)

PP1: Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Patric Hornqvist, Alex Wennberg, Keith Yandle

PP2: Frank Vatrano, Noel Acciari, Mason Marchment, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling

PROJECTED COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS LINES

COLUMBUS FORWARDS

29 Patrik Laine — 16 Max Domi — 20 Riley Nash

28 Oliver Bjorkstrand — 42 Alexandre Texier — 13 Cam Atkinson

38 Boone Jenner — 96 Jack Roslovic — 71 Nick Foligno

19 Liam Foudy — 26 Zac Dalpe — 50 Eric Robinson

COLUMBUS DEFENSEMEN

8 Zach Werenski — 3 Seth Jones

44 Vladislav Gavrikov — 58 David Savard

43 Mikko Lehtonen — 46 Dean Kukan

COLUMBUS GOALIES

70 Joonas Korpisalo

90 Elvis Merzlikins

Columbus power play (13/88 14.8% — 26th in NHL)

Columbus penalty kill (66/87 75.9% — 25th in NHL)

PP1: Nick Foligno, Jack Roslovic, Cam Atkinson, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski

PP2: Boone Jenner, Riley Nash, Max Domi, Seth Jones, Oliver Bjorkstrand