Cats & Coffee: Panthers Hit the Road After Hosting the Canes

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 continue to be far from boring. Leading the league with eight wins after falling behind 1-0 in games this season - including an unforgettable 3-2 win over the Stars on Thursday - the "Comeback Cats" enter this week sitting pretty at 13-4-3 and tied with the Lightning for the most points in the Central Division with 29.

"Every single game this year is so important," forward Frank Vatrano said after netting the deciding goal in goal in that aforementioned win over Dallas. "Playing within your division all year, every point matters when that 56th game hits. We need to be better for every single one."
With even more crucial points up for grabs, the Panthers will kick off this week by wrapping up a five-game homestand against the Hurricanes on Monday at BB&T Center. After that, they'll pack their bags and hit the road for a five-game trek with stops in Nashville, Carolina and Columbus.
Finding plenty of success outside of Sunrise in the early goings of this season, the Panthers have gone an outstanding 6-1-1 while owning the league's third-ranked offense (3.63 goals scored per game) and seventh-ranked defense (2.50 goals allowed per game) on the road.
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. ET
Looking to get a little bit of revenge, the Panthers will close out a five-game homestand with a rematch against the Hurricanes (13-6-1) at BB&T Center on Monday. After losing three straight games to the Lightning, Carolina enters this week fresh off of a 4-3 shootout win over Florida on Saturday. Vincent Trocheck, who found the back of the net during his first game back in Sunrise last week, leads the Hurricanes with 10 goals, while also sitting tied with Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho for the most points (17). Led by a balanced attack up front, Carolina boasts the league's eighth-ranked offense (3.25 goals per game) and sixth-ranked power play (27.7%). For the Panthers, look for Frank Vatrano to apply a lot of pressure in this battle. Lighting the lamp in each of his last two games, the 26-year-old speedster is currently tied for second on the team in even-strength goals with six. Never afraid to fire the biscuit, he's registered at least one shot on goal in each of his last nine outings, including letting loose at least three in his last four games.
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Radio: 790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys) 107.9 FM / 1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM CH. 221 / Streaming 932
Tickets:
HERE
Thursday and Saturday: at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET (Thurs) and 2 p.m. ET (Sat)
The Panthers will open up their five-game road trip with a pair of games against the Predators (10-11-0) at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday and Saturday. Shaking out of some early-season struggles, Nashville enters this week with wins in four of its last five games, including back-to-back victories against the Blue Jackets over the weekend. In those two games, the Predators outscored Columbus 5-2 while goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 57 of 59 shots (.996%). Filip Forsberg, who tallied an assist in each of those games against Columbus, leads the team in both goals (9) and points (19), while reigning Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi has the most assists (11). Facing off against his former team, keep a close eye on Patric Hornqvist for the Cats in these games. A seventh-round pick (230th overall) of the Predators in the 2005 NHL Draft, the 34-year-old veteran leads Florida in goals (9) and power-play goals (5) this season.
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Radio:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys) 107.9 FM/1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); Streaming 932
Sunday: at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m. ET
TV: FOX Sports Florida
Radio:790 WAXY (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys) 107.9 FM / 1370 AM WZTA (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM CH. 221 / Streaming 932
For the second time this season, the Cats will make a one-game pitstop to face the Hurricanes (13-6-1) at PNC Arena on Sunday. The last time they rolled through Raleigh, Florida erased an early 2-0 deficit to come from behind and win 4-3 in overtime on a thrilling breakaway goal from Jonathan Huberdeau. Overall, the Hurricanes own a 6-1-1 record on home ice this season, while the Panthers have gone 6-1-1 on the road. Quite the even matchup, wouldn't you say? Taking a look at one player particular, Keith Yandle is expected to reach an historic milestone in this contest if everything goes according to plan. Already the NHL's active ironman - he enters this week having competed in 886 consecutive games - the 34-year-old veteran is slated to suit up in the 1,000th game of his NHL career in this matchup. Originally selected in the fourth round (105th overall) by the Coyotes in the 2005 NHL Draft, Yandle ranks fourth in scoring among the league's defenseman since his debut in 2006-07, posting 586 points (102 goals, 484 assists).

MILESTONE WATCH

Patric Hornqvist is two points away from his 500th NHL point.
Radko Gudas is four assists away from his 100th NHL assist.
Aleksander Barkov is one game away from his 500th NHL game.
Radko Gudas is two games away from his 500th NHL game.
Keith Yandle is four games away from his 1,000th NHL game.

FELTMAN'S VALUE PACK

A hot dog and hockey, what more could you need?
New for this season, the Feltman's Value Pack includes upper-level Panthers tickets for either two to four people as well as a Feltman's all-natural hot dog, popcorn, soda and a parking pass. This offer is only valid for home games at BB&T Center, excluding games played on Saturday.
Now, this great deal isn't something you can find on the secondary market. In order to take full advantage of the Feltman's Value Pack, all patrons must make their purchase online through either only
Fevo
or FloridaPanthers.com. Right now, tickets are starting at just $34 per person.
For more information or to make a purchase, click HERE.

MILITARY JERSEYS

Remember those military-themed jerseys the Panthers wore during warmups on Thursday?
One of them could be in your closet right now!
With a portion of all sales benefitting local veteran's charities, those jerseys - including ones worn by Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad during the team's Military Appreciation Night - and many other great items are currently for sale over at the brand new FLATeamShop.com.

TRULY A GREAT CONTEST

It's time to put your luck to the test.
As part of the "Truly Tuesday Gameday Experience" contest, fans can now enter to win two tickets to a "Truly Tuesday" game against the Red Wings on March 30, a Panthers jersey and a wealth of Truly-branded merchandise, such as a cooler, koozies, fanny packs and much more.
The contest is open to all legal residents of Florida over 21 years old.
To enter, click HERE.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

Tyler Inamoto is reaching new heights during his senior season at Wisconsin.
Serving as an alternate captain for the No. 5 Badgers, the 21-year-old defenseman has already reached a new career-high for points with nine (one goal, eight assists) through 23 games. Over his last six contests, he's recorded three assists to go along with a whopping 15 blocked shots.

It's those blocked shots were Inamoto's contributions really can be seen. After ranking fifth in the nation with 2.26 blocks per game in 2019-20, he's increased that number to 2.74 this year.
Taken by Florida in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Inamoto has recorded 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) and 252 blocked shots over 129 career games at Wisconsin.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

As part of their ongoing "Heroes Among Us" program, the Panthers honored Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient Sergeant Willie Brinson at BB&T Center on Saturday.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, original Panthers forward Bill Lindsay joined the show to break down what he believes has fueled Florida's torrid start to the 2020-21 season.

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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Check out the latest mailbag from Panthers radio play-by-play man Doug Plagens.
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Miss anything from that wild comeback over Dallas last week? We've got you covered!
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Mason Marchment and Kevin Connauton were recently recalled from Florida's Taxi Squad.
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There have been some updates to the 2020-21 schedule.
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The Panthers played an historic period of hockey last week.
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Riley Stillman recently came up from the AHL to join Florida's Taxi Squad.
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Student Rush Nights are back!
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Mobile ordering is now available at BB&T Center.
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Make sure to sign up for the new "93 Society" newsletter.