Cats & Coffee: Panthers Prepared to Keep Pushing

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.
The Panthers aren't going to roll over for their cross-state rivals.
Trailing 3-1 in their best-of-seven playoff series, the "Comeback Cats" will instead look to flip the script on the Lightning this week. Needing to fend off elimination, they'll first host the Bolts at BB&T Center in Game 5 on Monday. If they win, they'll then travel back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Wednesday. If all goes well, the action will then shift back to Sunrise on Friday for Game 7.

Sure it's a tall order, but these Panthers have proved doubters wrong all season long. "We've got to be better," Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said after Sunday's practice.
"We've got a tight group here. We got on the ice today, got some video done. Everything here is positive moving forward. We're not out of this thing. It's going to be fun. We've got a big crowd here tomorrow, a lot of fans. We're going to give it our all."
After coming up just short in the first two games of the inaugural all-Florida playoff series, the Panthers provided fans with an all-time "where were you?" moment when Ryan Lomberg beat Andrei Vasilevskiy on a breakaway in overtime to lock in a 6-5 victory in Game 3 at Amalie Arena.
With tempers flaring in Game 4, the Lightning then pushed back to claim a 6-2 win on Saturday.
Jonathan Huberdeau currently leads the Panthers in playoff scoring with eight points (two goals, six assists), while Aleksander Barkov sits just behind him in second with five points (one goal, four assists), and Sam Bennett and Owen Tippett reside in a tie for third with four points each.
Whether it's one of those players or someone farther down the bench, the stage is set for some heroics this week as the Panthers look to dig themselves out of a hole and back into contention.
"We're not out of this," Panthers forward Noel Acciari said. "We're not going down without a fight."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: Tampa Bay Lightning, 8 p.m. ET
- TV: Bally Sports Florida, CNBC
- Stream:Bally Sports App
- Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM Ch. 221 / Streaming Ch. 932
- Tickets:
HERE
Wednesday: at Tampa Bay Lightning, 8 p.m. ET
- TV:Bally Sports Florida, CNBC
- Stream:Bally Sports App
- Radio:560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 850 WFTL (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (TREASURE COAST) SIRIUSXM APP & STREAMING CHANNEL 932
Friday: Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
- TV:TBD
- Stream: TBD
- Radio: TBD

ROCK THE ARENA

The crowd at BB&T Center is about to get a lot bigger.
With Game 5 coming up on Monday, the Panthers are increasing the arena's capacity to just under 75% for the all-important matchup. This news followed two sold-out limited capacity games to close out the regular season and two sold-out limited capacity postseason games.
In accordance with NHL protocols, all fans over the age of 2 are still asked to wear masks.
"We're getting more fans in the building," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "The crowds have been outstanding. The enthusiasm and the playoff environment have been something that we love. Let's enjoy it here and take advantage of home ice."
To purchase tickets, click HERE.

PANTHERS PREDICT

If you haven't played "Panthers Predict" yet, you're missing out.
Available through the brand-new FLA Live! App, which also features mobile ticketing, in-arena discounts, exclusive mobile wallet functionality and much more, "Panthers Predict" is a free-to-play, real-time prediction game that can be played by anyone from anywhere during any game.
In six simple steps, here's how to get prepared to play before Game 5 on Monday.
1. Click HERE to download the FLA Live! App on iTunes or Google Play.
2. Click the "Panthers Predict" button on the FLA Live! App home screen.
3. Set up an account to gain access the player leaderboard and points data.
4. When prompted, enter your mobile number to receive text alerts.
5. On a game day, enter predictions pre-game, during the first intermission and during the second intermission.
6. Once the game is over, check the leaderboard to see if you've won! If you do win, make sure to share you high score with @FlaPanthers on Twitter.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

The Panthers have one prospect that's currently taking on the world.
Joining up with Finland's national team after his Liiga season came to an end, Anton Lundell scored his first goal of the 2021 IIHF World Championship in a 2-1 shootout loss to Kazakhstan on Sunday.

No stranger to the international stage, Lundell previously led Finland's U-20 squad to a bronze medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in January. Wearing a "C" on his jersey, the 19-year-old center scored a team-leading six goals, including a pair in the bronze-medal game.
Hoping to find similar success with the big boys, Lundell has already helped Finland to a 1-0-1 record in the preliminary round of the World Championship. On the docket for this week, he'll battle Norway on Tuesday, Italy on Thursday, Germany on Saturday and Latvia on Sunday.
Taken by the Panthers with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lundell entered the annual tournament on the heels of a breakout season in Liiga. In 26 games with HIFK, he produced at nearly a point-per-game clip, finishing with 25 points (16 goals, nine assists).

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

Even if you've already watched it a million times, one more couldn't hurt. Start your week off by checking out Ryan Lomberg's epic overtime goal from Game 3.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press stops by to share his thoughts on the impact the Panthers' resurgent season made in South Florida.

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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Panthers radio play-by-play broadcaster Doug Plagens is here to answer your questions.
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Get caught up on Florida's epic win over Tampa Bay in Game 3 with "5 Takeaways."
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"Panthers Predict" has become the game within the game for fans.
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Dolphins coach Brian Flores brought fans at BB&T Center to their feet last week.
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Sergei Bobrovsky has been nominated for the 2020-21 King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
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The Panthers have partnered with Broward Health for COVID-19 vaccinations.
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The Panthers Podcast Network has arrived! Learn how to listen and subscribe now.
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Make sure to sign up for the new "93 Society" newsletter.