Cats & Coffee: Panthers in Control of Playoff Destiny

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment presented by Community Coffee in which we get you caffeinated with an exciting look at the week ahead for the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers are in control of their playoff destiny.

With nine games left to punch their ticket to the postseason, the Panthers will embark on their final extended road trip of the season this week, kicking off a four-game trip against the Islanders in Brooklyn on Monday before heading to Toronto, Ottawa and Boston.
Florida (38-28-7) has won 13 of its last 16 games and is coming off a 4-2 win over Arizona on Saturday at home in which Vincent Trocheck scored twice to spark a four-goal outburst in the third period and erase a 2-0 deficit.
"I think we just talked about it in here that this is the kind of game that we need to be playing down the stretch," Trocheck said. "Obviously, every game here is a playoff game for us. (It's) meaningful hockey and we just said that we don't want to look back at this game and have this be the one that, kind of, kept us out of the playoffs with just a mental lapse in those first two periods. So, we came out in the third and played our game."
In what appears to be a two-horse race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Panthers currently trail New Jersey by three points for the final wild card spot, but also have two games in hand on the Devils.
Simply put: if the Panthers continue to win, they're in.
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: at New York Islanders, 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers will kick start their four-game road trip against the lowly Islanders (31-34-10) at Barclays Center on Monday. New York has been one of the worst teams in the league during the second half of the season, losing 13 of its last 15 games. If they fall to Florida, the Islanders will officially be eliminated from playoff contention. Still, New York's offense does pack a punch, as center John Tavares (33 goals, 45 assists) and Calder Trophy front-runner Mathew Barzal (20 goals, 56 assists) have each eclipsed 70 points this season. For the Panthers, look for Vincent Trocheck to have a solid game in the offensive zone, as the 24-year-old is coming off a two-goal performance on Saturday against Arizona. Trocheck, who, leads Florida with a career-high 30 goals this season, has found the back of the net six times in his last eight contests.
Panthers vs. Islanders: 1-0-1
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 1370 WAXE (TREASURE COAST)
Wednesday: at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
The Panthers will look to cool off one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Division when they battle the Maple Leafs (45-23-7) at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. Toronto has won six of its last seven games, including a 5-2 win in Nashville on Thursday. The Leafs own the league's second-ranked offense (3.31 goals per game) and boast five players with at least 50 points, including forward Mitch Marner, who has tallied a team-leading 64 points (20 goals, 44 assists) in 75 games this season. Having already taken two of three games from Toronto, look for the Panthers to turn to goaltender Roberto Luongo to secure another win in this matchup. Luongo, who enters the week nursing an upper-body injury, is expected to be healthy and back in the lineup by the time Florida visits Toronto. Over his last 12 starts, the 38-year-old has posted an 8-3-1 record with a 2.55 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts.
Panthers vs. Leafs: 2-1-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 1370 WAXE (TREASURE COAST)
Thursday: at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m.
The Panthers will hope for a repeat performance of their last trip to Ottawa when they visit the Senators (26-37-11) at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday. Ottawa has lost four consecutive games, including a lopsided 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Panthers on March 20. The biggest area of concern for the Senators as of late has been on the defensive side of the puck, where they've allowed 18 goals over their last three games. In a must-win matchup against one of the league's worst teams, look for Aleksander Barkov to make sure Florida doesn't slip up in this one. The 22-year-old center has tallied 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) over his last 16 games and leads the Panthers with 74 points (26 goals, 48 assists) in 72 games this season. Florida is 31-9-5 this season when Barkov has a point.
Panthers vs. Senators: 2-1-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 850 WFTL (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS); 1370 WAXE (TREASURE COAST)
Saturday: at Boston Bruins, 1:00 p.m.
In the first of three meetings with Boston down the home stretch, the Panthers will travel to TD Garden for a matinee matchup against the Bruins (47-17-10) on Saturday. Florida bested Boston by a score of 3-0 in their first meeting on March 15 in Sunrise, with backup goalie James Reimer leading the Panthers to victory behind a 46-save shutout on his 30th birthday. The Bruins have won two of their last four games, including a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory in Minnesota on Sunday. Boston is led by potential Hart Trophy candidate Brad Marchand, who has tallied 80 points (33 goals, 47 assists) in just 60 games this season. For the Panthers, a big key to this game will be whether or not they can solve Tuukka Rask, who they didn't see in their previous meeting this season. In 24 career starts against Florida, Rask is 20-3-1 with a .950 save percentage.
Panthers vs. Bruins: 1-0-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS)

AUTISM AWARENESS NIGHT

The Panthers and South Florida Ford will once again team up for their annual Autism Awareness Night on April 2, when the Panthers host the Carolina Hurricanes at BB&T Center.
A private sensory-friendly lounge will be available for families to use throughout the game and a portion of all ticket sales using THIS link will go to Autism Speaks. All patrons who purchase this special package will receive a collaborative Panthers/Autism Speaks t-shirt.
Autism Speaks will also be honored at the game as a Community Champion. With the help of Moss Construction and the Florida Panthers Foundation, this grant program has committed five million over five years honoring local organizations.
All fans are encouraged to use #Ford4Autism throughout the game, as Ford will donate $5 to Autism Speaks each and every time the hashtag is used. Fans can also use the hashtag #LIUB for Light it Up Blue.

PANTHER CONSERVATION

With hopes of raising awareness and promoting conservation efforts for an animal they have long considered to be far more than a mascot, the Panthers celebrated their third-annual Panther Conservation Night on Saturday.
In addition to educational tables and conservation messaging throughout the night, the Panthers also honored Carlton Ward Jr. and his work with the Florida Wildlife Corridor by helping fund his project through the Community Champions program.
The Florida panther -- the state's official animal since 1987 - is unfortunately one of the most endangered mammals in the world, with just an estimated 150 to 200 living in the wild as of 2017.
"It's really great that the Panthers organization sees the animal as more than a mascot," Ward Jr. said. "It's helping us bring awareness on statistics and interesting facts about the panther, but also about the amount of land the panther needs and the path of the panther. That's what we need to protect."
Want to learn more about the Florida panther? Check out this video of Keith Yandle and his teammates visiting Zoo Miami to learn about local conservation efforts for the animal.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Aleksander Barkov is one goal away from his 100th NHL goal.
  - Nick Bjugstad is five assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
  - Jamie McGinn is four assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
  - Micheal Haley is one game away from his 200th NHL game.
  - Roberto Luongo is five games away from his 1,000th NHL game.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

Tweet from @StanleyCPanther: Breaking ground this morning with @mossconstruct, building houses for H.O.M.E.S. Inc., one of our community champions that provide quality housing for disadvantaged Broward residents. #oneterritory pic.twitter.com/dZM2PQtI28
Tweet from @StanleyCPanther: Teaching a few classes at @KeiserU. I promise that's not a bunny �� shadow puppet. ����#oneterritory pic.twitter.com/KQhuRhdXJO

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Aleksander Barkov
  answers your questions in his latest mailbag
  .
  - The Panthers
  recalled goaltender Harri Sateri from AHL Springfield
  .
  -
  The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hockey team flew to Nationals in style
  .
  - When things get too tense, Keith Yandle is there to loosen things up.
  Learn how the veteran defenseman keeps the mood light in the locker room in this interesting article
  .
  - Panthers original owner
  H. Wayne Huizenga passed away at the age of 80
  .
  - How do you spend 17 minutes in the penalty box? Who's the best ping pong player on the team? Find out answers to these questions and more in Mike Matheson's recent interview on the Territory Talk podcast below.