Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito is a thinker and a problem solver.

Mikael Backlund scored a tiebreaking short-handed goal early in the third period, Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 shots, and the Calgary Flames beat the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Monday night.

Johnny Gaudreau leaving Calgary for Columbus headlined a busy offseason of player movement around the NHL.

Gritty forward Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames.

The Calgary Flames and recently acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau have agreed to an $84 million, eight-year contract extension.

Just when you thought the Panthers were done making moves, they go and pull off one of the biggest trades the league has seen in years. Florida acquired Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick.

The Florida Panthers could have maintained the status quo this summer after posting the NHL’s best record.

The Florida Panthers roster, and the entire NHL really, received a major shakeup with the news that Florid was trading for exciting young forward Matthew Tkchauk.

Matthew Tkachuk is being traded to the Florida Panthers, part of a blockbuster that sends Jonathan Huberdeau to the Calgary Flames in a swap of players who are each coming off the best season of their respective careers,.

The NHL’s annual free agency frenzy will begin on Wednesday at Noon ET.

It's an exciting time around the NHL as the new league year is fast approaching.

Paul Maurice’s journey toward becoming the new coach of the Florida Panthers included a fortuitous flick of the remote control, plus was aided by a college admissions department.

There will be a Presidents’ Trophy banner hanging over the Florida Panthers’ home ice next season.

The Florida Panthers are on the brink of getting swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the back-to-back defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Florida Panthers found what made them the NHL's best regular-season team just in time to win the franchise's first playoff series in 26 years.

A season that was all about breaking down invisible barriers and rewriting the team's history books couldn't have ended without the more-than-overdue success bleeding into the postseason.

Carter Verhaeghe scored the overtime winner to send the Panthers to the second round by beating the Washington Capitals 4-3 in Game 6.

Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves as the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers 6-1 in Game 3 to take a lead in their first-round playoff series.

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The Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are among the contenders looking to get over the hump this year and win the Stanley Cup.

Brandon Montour scored 2:26 into overtime and the NHL-leading Florida Panthers extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night.

Aleksander Barkov scored his 38th goal of the season and the Florida Panthers tied a franchise record with their 12th straight win, beating the Detroit Red Wings 5-2.

Jonathan Huberdeau, who also picked up an assist, had two goals in the first five minutes for Florida.

Episode 51 of the Chirping the Cats podcast highlights a handful of important topics as the Panthers prepare for what they hope is a long run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

John Gibson stopped 52 shots in an incredible effort for Anaheim that went for naught.

The Panthers improved to 49-15-6, setting a franchise record with their 104th point.

Anthony Duclair scored twice for the Panthers, bringing his career-high total to 28 on the season.

Jonathan Huberdeau recorded his 71st assist, setting a new NHL record for assists by a left winger.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad each had four assists for Florida in the win.

Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour, MacKenzie Weegar and Anton Lundell also scored for Florida.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored three goals and the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division 5-3 in the final 3-on-3 match of the NHL All-Star Game.

On Tuesday the NHL named Anton Lundell the Rookie of the Month and Jonathan Huberdeau First Star of the Month for January.

Anthony Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida.

The Panthers are 7-0-1 since the extended Christmas break and they improved to 20-3-0 at home.

The NHL revealed its All-Star Game rosters on Thursday and as expected, Jonathan Huberdeau was selected as part of the Atlantic Division squad.

Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday.

Florida’s Joe Thornton played in his 1,700 regular season game.

Sam Bennett scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves to lead the Florida Panthers past the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on New Year’s Day in Sunrise.

After shuffling nearly a dozen players in and out of COVID-19 protocols over the past several weeks, a replenished Florida roster resumed its post-Christmas schedule with back-to-back home games against two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Anthony Duclair scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and four assists, and the Florida Panthers romped to a 9-3 rout of the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

Anton Lundell scored twice, including the go-ahead goal, and the Florida Panthers came back from three down for the second straight game to beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-4.

Aleksander Barkov scored in overtime and the Florida Panthers — playing a day after coach Joe Quenneville resigned amid a sex scandal — beat Detroit 3-2 on Friday to run their season-opening winning streak to eight.

Andrew Brunette is ready to coach the Florida Panthers for as long as the team needs.

The Panthers are rolling this season but coach Joel Quenneville being named in a report detailing how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled sexual assault allegations that an assistant on his staff sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010 could derail Florida's hopes.

Owen Tippett also scored and Sam Reinhart had an empty-netter for Florida.

Aleksander Barkov and the Florida Panthers have agreed on an $80 million, eight-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $10 million.

In South Florida, a growing group of Panthers players have been sharpening their skills at the team's practice facility ahead of training camp.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

Alex Killorn scored a pair of second-period goals and the Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded from its first postseason loss to rout the Florida Panthers 6-2 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round Central Division playoff matchup.

Postseason experience can be a valuable asset in the NHL playoffs.

Brayden Point scored two late goals, including the game-winner with 1:14 left in the third period, to lift the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers 5-4 to take Game 1 of their playoff series.

Sunday the Panthers held a morning skate at the BB&T Center ahead of Game One of their opening round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There used to be a thing called the Governor’s Cup, a trophy presented to whichever team won the annual regular season series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots to record his third shutout of the season, Juho Lammikko scored a short-handed goal, and the Florida Panthers secured home-ice advantage for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the regular season finale for both clubs.

Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar had a goal and two assists and goalie Chris Driedger made 16 saves in the win.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots as Florida took three of a possible four points during their two game set in Tampa.

Driedger, who has earned wins in four of his last five appearances, stopped all 32 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season.

Jonathan Huberdeau celebrates his third period goal with Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Aleksander Barkov scored a tiebreaking short-handed goal in the third period, and the Florida Panthers beat the slumping Chicago Blackhawks 6-3. It was the Panthers’ first short-handed goal this season. Down 3-1, the Panthers scored five unanswered goals to win their fourth straight game. Patrick Kane, Philipp Kurashev and Brandon Hagel scored for the Blackhawks, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Huberdeau scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as the Florida Panthers came from behind to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 Wednesday in Raleigh. The win vaulted Florida (10-2-2) into sole possession of first place in the Central Division, one point ahead of idle Tampa Bay and Carolina. “Really good start to our season,” Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said afterwards. Jonathan Huberdeau is filthy pic.twitter.com/8pZzhdlbxd — Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) February 18, 2021Stop what you're doing and watch this pass from Huberdeau. That puts him on pace for 80 points this season (56 games) or 117 points over a traditional 82-game schedule.

Jonathan Huberdeau congratulates Patric Hornqvist of the Florida Panthers after he scored a third period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BB&T Center on January 17, 2021 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – Aaron Ekblad and Alex Wennberg each had a goal and an assist and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 on Thursday night. Braden Point scored twice for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves. The Lighting had won six straight, averaging 4.5 goals per game during the win streak. The teams will meet again Saturday night in Sunrise and Monday night in Tampa.

Florida’s 6-1-2 start through nine games is the second-best in franchise history, topped only by the 6-0-3 record to open the 1996-97 season. “We've been consistent in most games," Florida coach Joel Quenneville said. Starting poorly, however, has pretty much snuffed out some Panthers seasons before they even started. The five Florida teams that went to the playoffs — 1995-96, 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2011-12 and 2015-16 — averaged 12 standings points through the season’s first nine games. There’s obviously a long way to go, but the Panthers finally have the start they wanted.

Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers celebrates with Aleksander Barkov after assisting a goal which made him the the all-time Florida Panthers leader in points during the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at BB&T Center on January 12, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. SUNRISE, Fla. – The NHL has announced date and time changes for several Florida Panthers games, including the two games against the Stars that were postponed from this week because of coronavirus concerns within Dallas’ team. The home game against Dallas originally set for Jan. 14 will now be Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. The game that was supposed to be Jan. 15 is now scheduled for May 3 at 7 p.m.Because those two season-opening games were postponed, the Panthers begin the season Sunday at home against Chicago at 7 p.m. For the Panthers’ full schedule, click here.

Florida Panthers' Noel Acciari celebrates with MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. SUNRISE, Fla. – The NHL’s condensed schedule for the 2020-21 season was released on Wednesday, and as expected, it looks a little different. For the Florida Panthers, that means getting quickly acquainted with several new division rivals. Bunched together are two-game sets against each divisional opponent, starting on Jan. 14 and 15 with back-to-back home games against the Dallas Stars to open the season. That’s basically how the entire 56-game schedule is laid out for the Panthers, which can be seen below:Florida Panthers 20-21 schedule.

The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning Jan. 13, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials. The NHL Players’ Association’s board is meeting Friday night to discuss it, while the league’s Board of Governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season. It’s unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in “hub” cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected. The NHL, like the NBA, finished its previous season in a quarantined bubble — two of them, one each in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta.

SUNRISE, Fla. – As the dust settles following several weeks of trades and free agency signings around the NHL, one thing is apparent in Sunrise; the Florida Panthers have a big vacancy to fill. Who is going to take Evgenii Dadonov’s spot on the Panthers top line? For the past three seasons, nobody has been on the ice with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau more often than Dadonov. Getting back to the Panthers, Dadonov turned out to be the right fit for Huberdeau and Barkov, and the line thrived as a result. It’s also worth noting that Vatrano has been given looks with Huberdeau and Barkov before, and he did very little with the opportunity.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Florida Panthers top line left winger Jonathan Huberdeau described an emotional morning in Las Vegas. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had a hard time finding the words when asked about Trocheck being gone. Almost every player had come and gone following a post-trade deadline practice at the Arizona Coyotes home rink. From Barkov's perspective, Trocheck was as much a part of the Panthers as the logo on the front of his sweater. "I have good relationships with our players, I'm friendly with them, but bottom line is what's best for the Florida Panthers, and that's why we felt it was necessary to do this.

SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, surpassing Olli Jokinen for the franchise’s career points lead with 420, and the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-4 on Sunday night. Mitch Marner scored twice for the Maple Leafs, and Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists. Marner’s 13th goal got the Maple Leafs within three early in the third. Leading 3-0, the Panthers scored on their first three shots of the second. Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson returned after missing the past 15 games with a leg injury.

SUNRISE – Jonathan Huberdeau scored two goals in just over 30 seconds and added two assists, and Florida’s top line had a nine-point game as the Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 on Sunday night. Aleksander Barkov had two goals and an assist and Mike Matheson added a goal and two assists. The top line of Huberdeau, Barkov and Dadonov notched four goals and five assists. Barkov countered with his second goal of the game at 3:41, tying the score at 3-all. Huberdeau scored twice in a 35-second span for a 5-3 lead.

SUNRISE, Fla. – On Episode 7 of Chirping the Cats, Florida Panthers top line winger Jonathan Huberdeau joins host David Dwork for a chat about playing Joel Quenneville, Huby growing up as a Panthers player and much more! David also gets into some key elements of Florida’s season, which is nearing the 30-game mark. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CTC PODCAST - iOS | Android1:00 – Odd-man rushes2:50 – Gap control5:20 – Defense a 5-man game6:00 – Florida's aggressive defense7:20 – High-scoring Panthers8:20 – Jonathan Huberdeau interview9:20 – Playing for Joel Quenneville10:05 – Learning Q's system11:30 – Different start to the season, not falling behind12:45 – Playing best hockey of his career13:45 – Balancing passing and shooting15:30 – Growing up with Panthers core guys17:30 – Amazing linemates over the years19:10 – Leaders/coaches that have stood out

Head coach Joel Quenneville of the Florida Panthers looks on from behind the bench on November 14, 2019. SUNRISE, Fla. - The Florida Panthers are nearing the quarter pole of the season. Michael Reaves/Getty Images Vincent Trocheck of the Florida Panthers celebrates after scoring a goal against the Winnipeg Jets on November 14, 2019. Joel Auerbach/Getty Images Jonathan Huberdeau celebrates his first period goal with Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers. Last season, Huberdeau reached new marks in goals, assists and points (30-62-92) while playing in all 82 games for Florida.

Josh Brown #2 of the New York Rangers pursues Brendan Lemieux #48 of the Florida Panthers. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)Evgenii Dadonov scored twice to lead the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday night. Mike Hoffman and Brett Connolly also scored, and Jonathan Huberdeau and Keith Yandle each had three assists for the Panthers. Hoffman and Dadonov scored power-play goals at 2:05 and 6:50, respectively, giving the Panthers scores on the man advantage in nine straight games. However, the Rangers tied it both times, first with Strome's sixth goal at 2:39 and Panarin's ninth at 8:47.

Oh, and let us not forget the poor starts to the season that past Panthers teams have been notorious for setting themselves up with. "I think with the first month (of the season), we're still adjusting," said Florida forward JonathanHuberdeau. "Q is there, and he has a great system; we've just got to follow it every night." Florida allowed just 22 shots on goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who registered his first shutout as a member of the Panthers. Puck possession was strong, as well, which will always lead to good things in Quenneville's system.

The veteran goalie earned his first shutout with Florida, and Jonathan Huberdeau had two goals and an assist as the Panthers cruised to a 4-0 win over the struggling Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Bobrovsky, who signed with the Panthers as a free agent in the offseason, stopped 22 shots for his 34th career shutout. The Red Wings mounted little offense and were ineffective on defense most of the game. NOTES: Panthers D Anton Stralman got his 200th NHL assist on the first goal by Huberdeau. ... Red Wings D Trevor Daley left in the third period with an undisclosed injury.

Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville handles bench duties during the first period against the New York Islanders on October 12, 2019. DENVER - The finish line of a long and daunting road trip is in sight. Joel Quenneville and his Florida Panthers are almost done with an October schedule to forget. But first things first, and that's ending an extremely tough road trip on a positive note. "Knowing that we have a chance to have a good road trip, especially on a tough road trip with tough travel, I think for us to come out and start early and start fast is big for us."

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson skates past as Florida Panthers center Jonathan Huberdeau celebrates with teammates after scoring during the third period on Oct. 22, 2019. With the Florida Panthers reaching the 10-game mark of the season Thursday night in Calgary, it seemed like a good time for a new 10 Observations. Michael Reaves/Getty Images Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers prepares for a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 08, 2019. Michael Reaves/Getty Images Evgenii Dadonov of the Florida Panthers skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 08, 2019. We'll end this 10 Observations with some knowledge from Florida Panthers playoff legend Bill Lindsay.

Dzingel's second goal extended Carolina's lead to 5-0 at 1:31 of the second. Yandle's power-play goal with 10:26 left in the third closed the Panthers to 5-2. Dadonov made it 5-3 on a power-play goal with 4:08 left. Dzingel's power-play goal with 1:46 left in the first made it 4-0. ... Reimer, acquired by the Hurricanes from the Panthers on June 30, made his first start against his former team.