Dear Panthers fans,
It's already been a pretty busy day here on the road.
After waking up in Arizona, we got some breakfast in, got on our flight, played some cards and then got back to work with a good practice right after we touched down in Denver this afternoon.
It's good to hit the ice right away and get used to the elevation here in the mountains. It's a little bit tougher breathing at a first, but once you get your first exercise in and start to get moving a bit you get used to it pretty quickly. With a practice under our belt, we're all feeling pretty good.
I actually played a game at this rink before. I think it was back around 2011 when I was with the U.S. National Team Development Program. We didn't win, but I remember it was a good game and we were all pretty happy with how we played considering Denver was a top NCAA team.
It's always fun to visit an old barn like this.
Overall, it's been a great trip. We're a close team already, but getting to spend even more time together on the road is even better. You create memories and build up that bond. We all had a really good time in Arizona. We went to Topgolf, had a lot of dinners and did some shopping.
But the best part was that we got that win against the Coyotes. We've been a great team all year, but we've talked about being a little better on the road and improving there. Tomorrow we're playing one of the other best teams in the league, but we look forward to the challenge.
Just like us, the Avalanche can score a lot of goals, but I think the game is going to come down to whichever team plays better defensively. I think we're both teams that thrive off turnovers and mistakes, so the team that really limits its mistakes is probably going to win the game.
With one game left on this trip, we want to come home with another big two points.
See you back in South Florida,
Frank Vatrano
\As told to FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive*
POSTCARD: Vatrano Revisits an Old Barn in Denver
