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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.
The Panthers will look a little different by the time they take the ice again in Sunrise.
In prime position to lock down a playoff spot with a record of 26-12-4, general manager Bill Zito has already been working the phone lines leading up to this afternoon's trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET in order to help give the team's roster one final boost before heading into the home stretch.

After clearing up some cap space by trading forward Vinnie Hinostroza to the Blackhawks on April 2, the Panthers made yet another deal with Chicago on April 8, acquiring forward Lucas Wallmark and defenseman Lucas Carlsson in exchange for forward Brett Connolly, defenseman Riley Stillman, the rights to forward prospect Henrik Borgstrom and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
Not done there, the Panthers then bolstered their depth at both ends of the ice by acquiring blueliner Brandon Montour from the Sabres in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick on April 10, and then signing free agent forward Nikita Gusev to a one-year deal the next day on April 11.
"It's exciting that we're making that push," Cats forward Noel Acciari said recently. "Whoever leaves we're going to miss them, and whoever we bring in we're going to welcome them."
Will more moves be coming? Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter this afternoon.
As for the on-ice action, the Panthers will continue their six-game road trip this week with a rematch in Dallas on Tuesday. After that, they'll head back to the Sunshine State to close out their long journey with a pair of games against the rival Lightning on Thursday and Saturday.
With first place in the Central Division still within their grasp, the Panthers, who have lost each of their last three games after stringing together six straight wins, currently trail the Hurricanes by two points for that coveted top spot, while also sitting tied with the Lightning for second place.
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Tuesday: at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Panthers will attempt to snap out of their three-game losing streak when they visit the Stars (15-14-11) at American Airlines Center on Tuesday. Sitting six points out of a playoff spot in the Central Division, Dallas enters this week with wins in four of its last seven games, including a 4-1 victory over Florida on Saturday. Second on the team in scoring with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists), Roope Hintz has had the magic touch as of late, registering nine goals and 13 assists over his last 16 games. Ahead of Hintz, Joe Pavelski leads the team in goals (15), assists (22) and points (37), with a team-high 19 of those points coming on the power play. Owning a 9-9-5 record, Anton Khudobin has been tough to beat in his four starts against the Panthers so far this season, going 2-1-1 with a .951 save percentage. Looking to change that - if Khudobin does get the nod in net - Aleksander Barkov is definitely worth keeping a close eye on for the Panthers in this matchup. In addition to leading the team in scoring with 43 points, the 25-year-old center is also tied with Carter Verhaeghe for first in goals (17), with three of them coming against Dallas.
TV:Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+
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
Thursday and Saturday: at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m. ET
Penning the next chapter of their rivalry, the Panthers will close out their six-game road trip with a pair of crucial matchups against the Lightning (28-11-2) on Thursday and Saturday at Amalie Arena. Holding a two-point lead over Florida for second place in the Central Division, Tampa Bay enters this week with wins in four of its last six games, including cruising to a 3-0 win over the Predators on Saturday. Looking like the front runner for the Norris Trophy, Victor Hedman leads the Lightning in scoring with 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) - a total that also places him tied for first among all NHL defensemen. Up front, Steven Stamkos paces the club with 17 goals, while Brayden Point is second with 16 and Yanni Gourde resides in third with 14. Strong at both ends of the ice, Tampa Bay currently ranks third in the league on offense (3.41 goals per game) and fifth on defense (2.44 goals allowed per game). In the blue paint and serving as the backbone of that defense, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy owns a 25-6-1 record with a .932 save percentage. Having split their season series thus far, the Panthers will need a strong showing in their own crease from either Sergei Bobrovsky or Chris Driedger in this matchup. A very solid tandem, Bobrovsky, who has started three of four games against Tampa Bay this season, has gone 15-7-2 with a .907 save percentage, while Driedger is 11-5-2 with a .930 save percentage.
TV: NBC Sports Network (Thurs), Bally Sports Sun and ESPN+ (Sat)
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (TREASURE COAST) SIRIUSXM APP/STREAMING CHANNEL 932

MILESTONE WATCH

Radko Gudas is one assist away from his 100th NHL assist.
Anthony Duclair is five assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
Keith Yandle is six points away from his 600th NHL point.

NEW UNCAGED

The latest episode of "Panthers Uncaged" is available to watch right now!
Presented by Enterprise, this latest installment of the behind-the-scenes series focuses on the Panthers' climb up the Central Division standings. Also, the episode features some very unique footage from the road, including Juho Lammikko's birthday and some team yoga in the hotel.
Of course, there's also quick look at Jonathan Huberdeau's absurdly sleek Lamborghini.

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      Panthers Uncaged Season 2: Ep 3

      After you're done watching, make sure to click HERE to read our post-show article "Unpacking Uncaged," which dives into some of the best moments, storylines and more from the episode.

      SUPPORTING A GOOD CAUSE

      There's plenty of ways you can support the Florida Panthers Foundation.
      By visiting
      FloridaPanthers.com/Foundation
      , fans can both purchase tickets for the next 50/50 Raffle or bid on unique autographed items such as jerseys, mystery pucks and so much more.

      PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

      Vladislav Kolyachonok took a big step forward in his career last week.
      Assigned from the KHL to the Syracuse Crunch on April 5, the 19-year-old defenseman made his AHL debut on Saturday, patrolling the blue line during a 5-1 victory over the Utica Comets.

      Originally selected by the Panthers in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kolyachonok appeared in 46 games in the KHL prior to heading to North America this season, producing one goal and five assists while suiting up for his hometown team in Minsk, Belarus.
      An aggressive two-way defenseman, Kolyachonok already put pen to paper on a three-year, entry-level deal with the Panthers all the way back in September of 2019. That same year, he set career-highs in goals (12) and points (33) while playing for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL.
      "I want to get bigger and work on my offense and defense, just everything," Kolyachonok said at his first development camp with the Cats in 2019. "I want to do everything faster, think faster."
      To keep up with Kolyachonok's journey this season, follow @SyracuseCrunch on Twitter.

      CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

      Stanley C. Panther recently teamed up with the Easter Bunny for a drive-thru celebration.

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          Broward Health Easter Drive-Thru

          CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

          TERRITORY TALK

          On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, Sergei Bobrovsky joins the show to talk about the recent celebration for his 500th game in the NHL, his impending safari to Tanzania and how he transitioned from a defenseman to a goaltender with the simple raise of a hand.

          COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)