CATS FORECAST: Ready for the Road; A Funky Watch Party

The hottest team in the NHL is hitting the road.
Entering this week sitting atop the league's standings with a record of 17-4-3, the Panthers will open up a three-game trek with a rematch against the Blues on Tuesday in St. Louis. After that, they'll visit the Coyotes on Friday and then close things out against the Avalanche on Sunday.
Just the sixth team in NHL history to win 14 of their first 15 games at home to start a season, the Panthers will now try to bring that same magic on the road as they work to keep on rolling.

"We just need to continue doing what we've been doing at home and not worry where we're at," Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "For this group, we've been at home, for the most part, for three weeks. It's good for us to get back out there and continue this good hockey."
On Monday, Brunette also announced that the plane would have a few extra passengers.
Working their way back from various injuries, Aleksander Barkov, Gustav Forsling, Anthony Duclair and Olli Juolevi will all be making the trip out West. Both full participants during this morning's practice, Barkov and Forsling could possibly return to action as early as Tuesday.
"Could be Tuesday or Friday," Brunette said of Barkov. "We'll see how he is after practice."
From big tests on the road to a watch party at home, check below for a closer look this week.

THE GAMES

Tuesday: at St. Louis Blues, 8:00 p.m. ET
The Panthers will kick off their road trip with a rematch against the Blues (12-8-4) at Enterprise Center on Tuesday. In the first half of their home-and-home series, Maxim Mamin scored a pair of goals to help lead the Panthers to a 4-3 shootout win over the Blues on Saturday at FLA Live Arena. After stringing together five straight wins to open up their season, the Blues have lost 12 of 19 games since. Jordan Kyrou leads the club in scoring with 23 points (nine goals 14 assists), while Robert Thomas ranks second with 22 points (two goals, 20 assists). Brandon Saad paces the team with 10 goals and has found the back of the net in each of the last two contest. Filling in for Jordan Binnington, who is currently in COVID protocol, Ville Husso has started each of the last two games, including turning aside 48 shots against the Panthers in his last outing. Overall, the backup netminder has posted a 3-2-1 record with a 2.33 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and one shutout. With a chance to sweep their season series with St. Louis, look for Sam Reinhart to make something happen for the Panthers in this matchup. Entering this week on a three-game point streak, he's also scored one goal in each game during that hot stretch. In 10 career games against the Blues, Reinhart has notched eight points (four goals, four assists).
TV & Streaming:Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); SiriusXM App & Streaming 932
Friday: at Arizona Coyotes, 9:00 p.m. ET
It'll be a classic battle between cats and dogs when the Panthers head to the desert for a clash with the Coyotes (5-17-2) at Gila River Arena on Friday. In last place in the NHL, Arizona enters this week having lost four of its last five games, including a 7-1 defeat against Vegas on Friday. Struggling at both ends of the ice, the Coyotes rank 30th in the league on defense (3.63 goals allowed per game on average) and 32nd on offense (1.79 goals scored per game on average). Over the last seven games, they've scored more than two goals just once. Tied for first on the team in scoring, Clayton Keller and Shayne Gostisbehere have each posted 16 points. In net, Karel Vejmelka has appeared in 15 games, posting a 2-10-1 record with a .906 save percentage. Facing off against the Panthers back on Oct. 25, he allowed three goals on 29 shots during a 5-3 loss in Sunrise. Going for a sweep of the season series, look for Jonathan Huberdeau to crack the scoresheet in this matchup. Leading the NHL in scoring with nine points (one goal, eight assists) last week, he currently ranks tied for fifth in the league in points (29) and tied for third in assists (21). In 11 career games against Arizona, Huberdeau has nine 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 App & Streaming 932
Sunday: at Colorado Avalanche, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV & Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+ (Out of Region)
Radio:560 WQAM (DADE/BROWARD); 640 WMEN (PALM BEACH); 100.3 WCTH (KEYS) SIRIUSXM APP & STREAMING 932
Closing the book on their road trip, the Panthers will head up into the mountains to battle the Avalanche (12-7-2) at Ball Arena on Sunday. Picking up steam after stumbling out of the gate, Colorado has won eight of its last 11 games, but enters this week coming off a 6-5 overtime loss at Ottawa on Saturday. After the Avalanche erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime, Brady Tkachuk scored in the extra frame to lock in the win for the Senators. With Colorado leading the NHL in goals scored per game on average (4.00), Nazem Kadri leads in the team with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists). After him, Gabriel Landeskog ranks second with 24 points, Cale Makar is third with 21 and Mikko Rantanen is fourth with 19. Limited to just 11 games this season but starting to heat up, Nathan MacKinnon has recorded 16 points. As for the Panthers, this feels like a game where Aaron Ekblad will make some magic happen. A force at both ends of the ice, he's tallied six points (two goals, four assists) over his last three games to move into a tie for third place among the league's defensemen in scoring with 23 points.

MILESTONE WATCH

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

GETTING FUNKY

Even when the Panthers are on the road, the party doesn't stop in South Florida.
When the Cats are battling the Blues on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, fans can head on over to the Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park to enjoy the team's official watch party. In addition to giveaways and drink specials, fans can also hang out with the ROAR Corps and Viktor E. Ratt.

For more information, stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS

You know it's officially the holiday season when the Panthers release a new ornament.
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 signature on the back from a current Cats player.
To purchase, follow the link in the tweet below.

KIDS CLUB IS BACK

The Panthers have launched an all-new Kids Club with three membership options.
South Florida boys and girls ages 14 and under are invited to join the Panthers Kids Club, which offers access to exclusive events, special offers, Panthers merchandise packs and much more.
"Panthers Hockey offers something for fans of all ages, and we are excited to roll out this special program for young hockey fans who know all about the game or who are just starting out as fans," Sr. Director of Florida Panthers Foundation & Community Relations John Colombo said in a release. "The rookie membership is free for all kids and add on options allow this program to be accessible and enjoyable for all."
To learn more and view membership options, visit
FloridaPanthers.com/KidsClub
.

PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT

There's a new goals leader in Charlotte.
Scoring in three straight games, Cole Schwindt now leads Florida's AHL affiliate with nine goals in 21 games. In that stretch, he's also had two multi-point games, including scoring the game-tying goal and then assisting on the game-winner during a 3-2 win over Bridgeport on Sunday.
A threat to score while shorthanded, two of his goals this season have come on the penalty kill.

Taken by the Panthers in the third round (81st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Schwindt's scoring touch should come as no surprise to those who watched him during his OHL days. Suiting up in 57 games with Mississauga during the 2019-20 season, the 20-year-forward recorded 28 goals.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

The Panthers recently partnered with Harvest Drive to collect non-perishable food items for Broward County families in need this holiday season.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

Florida Hockey Now's George Richards joined last week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast to talk about the "Comeback Cats," Sergei Bobrovsky's resurgent season and a whole lot more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

-
Jonathan Huberdeau was named the NHL's First Star of the Week
-
5 TAKEAWAYS: Mamin scores twice as Panthers top Blues in shootout 
-
Q&A: Lundell Talks Comeback Cats, Rookie Season & More! 
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5 TAKEAWAYS: Panthers Score 6 Straight in Comeback Win vs. Sabres 
-
Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Comeback Cats Strike Again