Cats Forecast: Panthers Looking Forward to Getting Back Home

After wrapping up their three-game road trip, the Panthers are heading home this week.
Returning to the friendly confines of FLA Live Arena, they'll first host the Senators on Tuesday before closing out their two-game homestand with a matchup against the Kings on Thursday.
After that, they'll hit the road once again for a two-game trip that begins Saturday at Minnesota.

"We love being at home," forward Sam Bennett said. "Definitely looking forward to getting back."
For good reason.
Defending their den with the same ferocity you'd expect from their namesake, the Panthers have won 14 of their first 15 games on home ice while recording a league-leading 66 goals.
Fueled by that impressive home-ice advantage, the Panthers enter this week occupying first place in the Atlantic Division and tied for the most points in the NHL with a record of 18-5-4.
"We're ready to come home," said forward Joe Thornton, flashing a big grin.
For tickets to the upcoming homestand, visit
FloridaPanthers.com/Tickets
.
To see what else is going on this week around the Territory, continue reading below.

THE GAMES

Tuesday: Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m. ET
Looking to continue their stalwart play in Sunrise, the Panthers will open up their two-game homestand with a battle against the Senators (8-16-1) at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday. Winners in four of their last five games, Ottawa enters this week riding high following a 4-0 win against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Lightning on Saturday. Stunning Tampa Bay, Brady Tkachuk led the charge on offense with a hat trick, while Anton Forsberg stopped all 25 shots that came his way. Leading the Senators in scoring, Drake Batherson has recorded 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists), while Tkachuk ranks second with 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists). Josh Norris, meanwhile, paces the team with 12 goals. During their current five-game stretch, Ottawa has outscored its opponents 18-14. Turning attention to the Panthers, keep a close eye on Sam Reinhart in this tilt. Filling up the scoresheet recently, he's produced nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last eight games. In 20 career games against the Senators, he's tallied 17 points.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS) SIRIUSXM CHANNEL TBD/APP & STREAMING 932
Tickets:
HERE
Thursday: Los Angeles Kings, 7:00 p.m. ET
Making their lone visit to FLA Live Arena this season, the Kings (12-10-4) shouldn't except a warm welcome from the Panthers on Thursday. Closing out last week with consecutive wins over the Stars (4-0) and Wild (2-1), Los Angeles has benefited from a few vintage showings from Jonathan Quick recently. Sitting at 7-5-3 on the season, the 35-year-old veteran has allowed just three goals over his last three starts, including stopping 30 of 31 shots against Minnesota on Saturday. Up front, Anze Kopitar leads the Kings in scoring with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists), while Adrian Kempe and Alex Iafallo are tied for second with 16 points each. For the Panthers, let's go with Jonathan Huberdeau as a player to watch in this matchup -- an easy pick, I know. Florida's scoring leader with 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists), he's been on fire as of late, racking up two goals and nine assists over his last six games. Always bringing his A-game against Los Angeles, he's also notched 15 points in 13 career games against the Kings.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS) SIRIUSXM CHANNEL TBD/APP & STREAMING 932
Tickets:
HERE
Saturday: at Minnesota Wild, 2 p.m. ET
After soaking up the sun for two days at home, the Panthers will head north once again for a two-game trip beginning on Saturday against the Wild (19-8-1) at Xcel Energy Center. Leading the Central Division, Minnesota followed up its eight-game winning streak with a pair of losses at Los Angeles and Vegas to close out last week. In their previous meeting with the Panthers, they lost by a score of 5-4 in Sunrise on Nov. 20. Sitting third in the league with an average of 3.68 goals per game, the Wild is led by reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov, who has registered a team-high 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 28 games. Under him on the team's scoring leaderboard, three other players have posted at least 20 points: Ryan Hartman (23), Mats Zuccarello (22) and Joel Eriksson Ek (20). Going for a season sweep, the Panthers will likely get another strong performance from Aaron Ekblad in this matchup. Averaging at team-high 25:39 of ice time per game, he also ranks tied for fifth among NHL defenseman in points with 24 (eight goals, 16 assists). In 13 career games against Minnesota, he has four points.
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, NHL Network
Radio: 560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (FLORIDA KEYS) SIRIUSXM CHANNEL TBD/APP & STREAMING 932

MILESTONE WATCH

• Anthony Duclair is two goals away from his 100th NHL goal.
  - Joe Thornton is four games away from his 1,700th NHL game.
  - Aleksander Barkov is eight assists away from his 300th NHL assist.
  - MacKenzie Weegar is eight points away from his 100th NHL point.

ALL-STAR FAN VOTE

It's time for Panthers fans to head to the digital polls.
Fan voting for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game is now open!
With voting open until 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 8, fans are permitted to select a maximum of four players per ballot, with the maximum number of ballots cast per 24 hours for each fan being 10.
If you're crunching the numbers, that means you can cast 40 votes for the Panthers each day.
To help send some of your favorite Cats to the 2022 NHL All-Star Weekend, which will take place Feb. 4-5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, click
HERE
to start casting your votes now.
Every vote counts.

FUNKY MINI FRIDGE

It's always a challenge to keep your beverages cold in South Florida.
Coming to the rescue, the Panthers and Funky Buddha Brewery are currently holding a sweepstakes to give away an awesome co-branded miniature fridge to one lucky winner.
If you're at least 21 years or older, click
HERE
to enter for a chance to win.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS

There's still time to get your new Panthers ornament before the holiday!
With proceeds benefitting the Florida Panthers Foundation, these awesome limited-edition ornaments, which feature the organization's iconic stick and palm tree logo this year, can be purchased either blank or with a mystery autograph on the back from a Panthers player.
To purchase, follow the link in the tweet below.

PLAY GAMES, WIN PUCKS

The "Puck Series" gets underway this week.
To play NHL 22 for a chance to win a puck autographed by Jonathan Huberdeau and a $50 digital credit to the FLA Team Shop, join the gaming community at rivalgames.com/panthers.
With both events set to get underway at 7 p.m. ET this week, the PlayStation 5 tournament will take place on Tuesday, while the XBOX Series X/S tournament will take place on Wednesday.
Good luck and stay tuned for future events!

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

A big congratulations is in order for Justin Sourdif.
On Sunday, the 19-year-old forward was announced as one of 25 players that will represent Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
Scooped up by the Panthers in the third round (87th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Sourdif's selection should come as no surprise. In addition to leading the WHL's Vancouver Giants in scoring with 29 points in 21 games, he's also tied for sixth in the league in assists with 21.
Making big strides throughout his career in the junior ranks, those solid numbers come on the heels of a breakout 2020-21 season in which he finished tied for third in the WHL with 34 points.
The World Juniors are scheduled to run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
Stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com for updates both before and during the tournament.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

NHL players no longer just play hockey in Broward County.
They can be from Broward County.
Check out the video below to learn about Chase Priskie's incredible journey.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

In the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, Panthers forward Sam Bennett joined the show to talk about the camaraderie within the locker room, the team's torrid start and more!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers Push Late, Come Up Short in Colorado
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POSTCARD: Vatrano Revisits an Old Barn in Denver 
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5 TAKEAWAYS: Bobrovsky 'Excellent' as Panthers Win in Arizona 
-
POSTCARD: Weegar Writes from Arizona 
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Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Friday Night Games, Music Favorites 
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PROSPECTS: Panthers Prospects Vying for Spots at 2022 World Juniors