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Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information.
It's safe to say at this point that none of this is a fluke, so you can stop pinching yourself.
Off to one of their best starts in franchise history, the Panthers will officially hit the halfway point of their 56-game season when they host the Blackhawks on Monday at BB&T Center. Entering the week owning a stellar 18-5-4 record, they've picked up the win in five of their last six games and currently sit just a single point behind the Hurricanes for the top spot in the Central Division.

"We've just got to keep going," captain Aleksander Barkov said.
After battling the Blackhawks, the Panthers will then wrap up their homestand with two contests against the Predators on Thursday and Saturday. From there, they'll travel across the state to kick off a five-game road swing with a massive matchup against the rival Lightning on Sunday.
Jonathan Huberdeau currently leads Florida in scoring with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists), while Barkov ranks second with 31 (11 goals, 20 assists). Catching fire in recent weeks on the offensive side of the puck, Barkov has tallied four goals and eight assists in his last nine games.
Also heating up, Sergei Bobrovsky has been on top of his game in net over his last seven starts, going 6-0-1 while turning aside 222 of 241 for a .921 save percentage. Over his first 15 starts of the season, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has jumped out to an outstanding 11-2-2 record.
"It's a process that's been going on from Game 1," Bobrovsky said. "You're building. You go out and your mind becomes more and more relaxed. You see the game better, more clearly, and you feel comfortable more and more. The more you play, you feel better."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m. ET
The Panthers will attempt to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games when they host the Blackhawks (14-10-5) at BB&T Center on Monday. Chicago enters the week fresh off a 4-2 loss to Florida on Saturday and has dropped four of its last six games overall. Patrick Kane leads the team and ranks third in the league with 41 points (11 goals, 30 assists), while Dominik Kubalik paces the club with 15 goals. Earning at least one point in 10 of his last 12 games, Kane has registered four goals and 15 assists in that span. Overall, the Blackhawks have yet to win a game in three head-to-head matchups with the Panthers this season while being outscored 14-8 in those contests. Speaking of the Cats, keep a close eye on Frank Vatrano in this tilt. Tied for the most even-strength goals on the team with 10, the 27-year-old winger has found the back of the net six times over his last nine outings. Coming up in the clutch, three of those scores have been game-winners. Additionally, he's lit the lamp in two of three games against Chicago this season.
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 223 / Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
Thursday and Saturday: Nashville Predators, 7 p.m. ET (Thurs), 2 p.m. ET (Sat)
Closing the book on their four-game homestand, the Panthers will host the Predators (11-16-1) for two battles at BB&T Center on Thursday and Saturday. Entering this week mired in a tough slump, Nashville has lost six of its last seven games, including 6-3 drubbing at Tampa Bay on Saturday. Through the first four games of their season series with Florida, the Predators have been outscored 18-13 while winning just one of those games. Doing a lot of the heavy lifting on offense, Filip Forsberg leads the team in goals (10), assists (17) and points (27). A tough player to contain on the ice, the 26-year-old winger has posted 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in four games against the Panthers this season. For the Cats, look for Patric Hornqvist to have a good showing against his former club in this two-game set. Pacing the team in both goals (T-11) and power-play goals (6), the 34-year-old veteran has recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) in 14 career games against Nashville, including registering three assists this season.
TV:FOX Sports Florida
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 222 / Streaming 932
Tickets:
FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets
Sunday: at Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m. ET
Fanning the flames of their cross-state rivalry, the Panthers will open up a five-game road trip with a matchup against the Lightning (19-5-2) at Amalie Arena on Sunday. Tied with Florida for points (40) and currently sitting second in the Central Division, Tampa Bay enters the week with wins in nine of its last 11 games. In that span, they've surrendered just 23 goals while pitching three shutouts. The only team averaging more goals than Florida this season, the Lightning are lighting the lamp an average of 3.73 times per game. Fueling that attack, four different players have recorded at least 25 points: Ondrej Palat (26), Victor Hedman (26), Steven Stamkos (25) and Brayden Point (25). Stamkos leads the team in goals (12), while Hedman has dished out the most assists (21). For the Panthers, who have taken two of three games from Tampa Bay so far this season, look for Aaron Ekblad to come up with some big plays in this matchup. Off to one of the best starts in his career, the 25-year-old ranks second among the league's blueliners in goals (9) and first in power-play goals (5). In 27 career games against the Bolts, he's notched five goals and 13 assists while -- despite facing Tampa Bay's lethal attack -- earning a +2 rating.
TV:FOX Sports Florida, ESPN+
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 223 / Streaming 932

MILESTONE WATCH

Radko Gudas is two assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
Anthony Duclair is seven assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
Keith Yandle is 10 points away from his 600th NHL point.
MacKenzie Weegar is one game away from his 200th NHL game.
Patric Hornqvist is three games away from his 800th NHL game.

TERRITORY MEMBERSHIPS

There's still time to renew your Territory Membership for a chance to win a great prize.
Until March 31, all current Territory Members can renew their existing plans to earn up to 6% CATS CA$H and be entered to win some wonderful items or experiences. Among the various perks, Territory Members will receive access, savings and more during the 2021-22 campaign.
As of right now, the remaining prizes are:
• Sunday, March 21: 2-Night Staycation at The Dalmar in Fort Lauderdale
• Sunday, March 28: 70" LG 4K TV • Thursday, April 1: Florida Panthers Away game Experience (Airfare, 2-Night Stay at the XV Beacon Hotel in Boston, MA and 2 Game Tickets - Date TBD)
For more information on renewing, please visit
FloridaPanthers.com/Renewals
.
As for future Territory Members, we haven't forgotten about you! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information on how you can get in on the fun moving forward. Until then, to learn more about all of the benefits of a Territory Membership, visit
FloridaPanthers.com/Memberships
.

THE FINAL FLOW

Presented by HairClub, the Panthers "All-Time Best Flow" contest has reached the semifinals.
Trimming the pack down from 16 to four, Jaromir Jagr is up against Ryan Lomberg on the left side of the bracket, while MacKenzie Weegar and Roberto Luongo are facing off on the right. Who deserves to reach the final? Check out the tweet below to cast your vote now!

CELEBRATING ST. PATTYS

The Panthers have lots of good stuff coming your way for St. Patrick Day.
On Monday, players will don festive green jerseys during warm-ups before their battle with the Blackhawks. After the game, those jerseys will be available to purchase at
FLATeamShop.com
.
Fans will also be able to enjoy $5 beers as well.
Right now, fans can also bid on St. Patty's Day signed mystery pucks to benefit the Florida Panthers Foundation. If you're lucky, you may score a puck signed by Aleksander Barkov!
To purchase a puck, click HERE.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

Max Gildon has been bringing his A-game since arriving in Bakersfield.
While the Panthers are keeping most of their AHL prospects to Syracuse this season, Gildon was assigned to the Condors on Feb. 24 in order to get some more minutes under his belt. In six games since the move, the 21-year-old defenseman has already accumulated four points.
On March 10, Gildon tallied the first goal of his AHL career, burying a cross-ice feed to open the scoring during Bakersfield's 3-1 win over San Diego. Later on, he would also add a secondary assist to earn his first multi-point performance in just his fourth game skating with the Condors.

"It's been a lot of fun here and I'm enjoying every day," Gildon told reporters after the game.
Selected by Florida in the third round (66th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Gildon only recently wrapped up his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire. During his three seasons with the Wildcats, he posted 73 points (21 goals, 52 assists) over 101 games from 2017-20.
In 2019-20, he ranked 11th in the nation among blueliners with a career-high 29 points.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

Keith Yandle got a lot of love from around the league after skating in his 1,000th NHL game.
Check out some of the congratulatory messages in the clip below!

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      Keith Yandle 1000 Games Congratulations Messages

      CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

      TERRITORY TALK

      On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar called into the show to talk about the team's strong season, changing culture and much more!

      COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)