As has been shouted from regional rooftops innumerable times in recent days, Panthers center Stephen Weiss is set to become the Cats' all-time leader in games-played with the franchise Thursday evening at home against Minnesota. The mark of 614 games will surpass current Dallas forward Radek Dvorak, adding to a continually growing list of achievements with Florida begun way back at the tail end of the 2001-02 season (Pierre Dagenais, anyone?):

• Fifth in goals (137), 5 behind Boston's Nathan Horton (4th)
• First in assists (237)
• Second in points (374), 45 behind Calgary's Olli Jokinen (1st)
• Third in power play goals (46), 19 behind Jokinen (2nd)
• Sixth in shorthanded goals (4), 1 behind Horton & Viktor Kozlov (5th)
• Fourth in game-winning goals (21), 1 behind Scott Mellanby (3rd)
• Second in overtime goals (5), 5 behind Jokinen (1st)
• Fourth in shots on goal (1,176), 1 (yes, one) behind Kozlov (3rd)

Fabulous numbers given the rosters he's been tied into through the years, and truly deserving of whatever honors the club decides to bestow upon him apart from what is already in the record book. Not only has he played every game of his career in Panther Red (and white, navy & powder blue) but he's one of those rare cases - in modern times - of not only conquering the franchise-leader mark but having been drafted by the same organization...in the team's hometown of Sunrise, no less. Make no mistake: dude is connected to South Florida.

Any good stories about #9 worth sharing from the past eleven years? Let's hear 'em.

Sunday night's Panthers loss to the Anaheim Ducks, combined with the Jets 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche has put the Jets over the Capitals and one point short of Florida for the division lead. The top three teams in the Southeast Division are now each one point apart from the next team down, with the Lightning not far behind. This tight seeding along with the tightness between seventh and tenth place in the Eastern Conference has made leading the division paramount for Southeast teams.

As of this morning, the Panthers still lead the division by one point. The Capitals can tie that points lead tonight, but the Panthers would still hold the division lead on the games played tiebreaker. The price for entry to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference appears to be about 92 to 94 points. While the division leader would get in no matter how few points they hold, none of these teams can count on none of the others hitting at least 92. The real question is: what records do these teams need down the stretch to lead the division?

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The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Tyson Strachan - recent scorer of his first NHL goal in 75 career games - to a one-year, one-way contract extension on Wednesday. He's the prototypical solid-if-unspectacular blueliner whose had some offensive success in the AHL since being drafted in the fifth round in '03 by Carolina. Several stints with St. Louis gave him the lion's share of his big league experience, making him an attractive enough option for the Panthers when they signed him to a one-year deal in June. The thinking was obviously geared toward the opportunity he'd receive with San Antonio, and he delivered: 12 points (3G) and a plus-5 in 32 games with the Rampage.

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Two weeks remain before the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline locks teams into the playoff hunt, and with a three game winning streak the Florida Panthers have vastly improved their standing in an unpredictable Eastern Conference. Many factors will determine the actions of the league's general managers, while fans and players become antsy for the deals to begin, gauging the commitment and difficulty of your opponents is a key consideration to make before picking up the phone. Deadlocked in a battle for first place in the division, the focus to the standings on off nights is something we're all familiar with since winning alone isn't always enough to clarify a team's position when a day as critical as deadline day nears. The victories and defeats of rivals is always on the minds of players and management these days, and quantifying the upcoming schedule serves as a 'crystal ball' into the future during this crucial period.

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The Panthers have called up second-year pro prospect Colby Robak to replace defensive stalwart Jason Garrison for Sunday's 3 p.m. road match against the New York Islanders. Garrison left Saturday's eventual 3-1 Florida victory over New Jersey with has been deemed by the club to be a lower-body injury. Whatever that means.

Robak, a recent AHL All-Star at 21, is a second-round selection (46th overall) of the Panthers in 2008. He currently shares the points lead among Rampage blueliners - with newly-acquired Sean Sullivan - at 25 (7G/18A) in 48 games. A year ago - his first outside of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings - the 6-3 defenseman collected 24 points (7G) in 76 games for then-Florida AHL affiliate Rochester.

With the announcement of a prolonged return for starting goaltender Jose Theodore and what could be a season ending healing process for promising prospect Jacob Markstrom, the outcome of the season has and continues to rest squarely on the shoulders of backup Scott Clemmensen, and boy has he done well saddling that tremendous weight. Not without a few hiccups along the road, Clemmensen has performed admirably since taking over for an injured Theodore in the New Years Eve game, amassing 268 saves on 286 shots over the course of 8 decisions. His 4-1-3 record certainly supports this assertion, Clemmensen has allowed 18 goals in those games while the Panthers have only scored 18 themselves; the goalie we quipped could only win when his team scored 5 has quieted doubters by keeping close games close and shutting the door when needed.

Coincidentally, Clemmensen has faced the backup-to-emergency starter-to-playoffs situation before, and it all came about from the solid play we've seen as of late. Continued after the jump.

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Here it is, direct from the team. Thanks to all who submitted the link. Have at it....

Ups & Downs is a feature that looks at the individual performances of your Panthers over the past week.

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2011-12 Florida Panthers
22-15-11 (55 points), 2nd in Southeast Division, 7th in Eastern Conference, 14th in League
Goals For: 122 (23rd of 30), Goals Against: 136 (13th of 30)

Biggest Gain: Scott Clemmensen

Clemmensen doesn't get enough credit. Dispite only winning one game (he was 1-1-2 during the week), Clemmensen had a weekly save percentage of .930, playing 255 minutes (three of them shootouts). The sole reason the Panthers are still in the hunt for the division, let alone the playoffs, is because of Scott Clemmensen.

Biggest Loss: John Madden

Madden is still pointless in his seven games with the Panthers. This week he registered only one shot on goal in 70 minutes of ice time, the shot coming from the Panthers last game against Philadelphia. While Madden isn't the type of player that will light up the scoreboard, he's got to do more than just hit (five recorded hits this week) with that ice time.

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