Cats & Coffee: 3 Big Games at BB&T; Military Appreciation Night

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment presented by Community Coffee in which we get you caffeinated with an exciting look at the week ahead for the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers will wrap up their homestand this week with three games at the BB&T Center against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.

The Panthers (4-5-1) are coming off a hard-fought loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, a game in which Florida's players and coaches felt they had played good enough to win, despite falling 3-2 by way of the shootout.
"It was hard-fought game by both teams," head coach Bob Boughner said. "We knew Detroit was going to be desperate here, and we're desperate ourselves. I liked out game, I really did. I can't say too many negative things about it."
"We played hard. We created chances. We won the special teams. You've got to give [Jimmy] Howard some credit and [James Reimer] played well. It was one of those back-and-forth games."
As Florida's offense continues to generate plenty of scoring chances with ease -- 35.8 shots per game, to be exact - the team's key to victory this week will likely be goaltender James Reimer, who the Panthers will continue to lean on heavily until Roberto Luongo returns from injury.
"It doesn't matter who's in the lineup and who's not, you just want to play your best and give the guys a chance," said Reimer, who stopped 36 of 38 shots against Detroit. "Tonight was a battle. I thought we played well, had a lot of good chances. We played pretty well as a team."
Here's everything you need to know for the week ahead…

THE GAMES

Monday: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m.
The Panthers will kick off the week with their third matchup of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday at the BB&T Center. The Lightning (9-2-1) currently sit atop the Atlantic Division, thanks in large part to their third-ranked offense (3.75 goals per game) and second-ranked power play (28.6 percent). In order to come away with a much needed two points, the Panthers will need to focus most of their attention on shutting Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, who currently own the league lead in points (21) and goals (12) respectively.
Panthers vs. Lightning: 1-1-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast) \WAXE Start Time 8:00 PM
Thursday: vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m.
Florida's high-powered offense will be put to the test when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit the BB&T Center on Thursday. The Blue Jackets (7-4-0) are led by two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who currently boasts a 1.86 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. In order to crack CBJ's goalie, the Panthers will need a big night from their top line trio of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov, who have combined to score 32 points through the first 10 games of the season.
Panthers vs. Blue Jackets in 2016-17: 2-1-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast) \WAXE Start Time 8:00 PM
Saturday: vs. New York Rangers, 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers' five-game homestand will finally come to an end when they host the New York Rangers at the BB&T Center on Saturday. The Rangers (3-7-2) are off to an uncharacteristically slow start this season, sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division as November approaches. New York's woes can most likely be credited to its defense, which currently ranks 25th in the league in goals allowed (3.50 goals per game) and 24th in penalty killing (77.8 percent). In this contest, look for Vincent Trocheck to find his way on the scoresheet, as Florida's second-line center has tallied six points (2-4-6) over his last four games.
Panthers vs. Rangers in 2016-17: 2-1-0
TV: FSF
Radio: 880 WZAB (Dade/Broward); 850 WFTL (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)

MILESTONE WATCH

• Mike Matheson is six games away from his 100th NHL game.
  - Nick Bjugstad is 10 games away from his 300th NHL game.
  - Roberto Luongo needs just one more win to surpass Curtis Joseph for fourth place on the NHL's all-time wins list with 455.

VIKTOR E. DASH

The Panthers will host their second annual Viktor E. Dash in conjunction with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the BB&T Center on Nov. 4, 2017. The 5k race will kick off at 8 a.m. and the one-mile race will begin at 8:45 a.m., with each racer receiving a special Viktor E. Dash T-Shirt and custom finishers' medal.
The One Mile Race, named the Peggy Ziady Memorial Walk/Run, will take place in memory of the Panthers Director of Human Resources & Payroll Peggy Ziady. Peggy, who spent 12 years working for the Panthers, was a colleague, friend and mentor to every life she touched.
A portion of race registrations will be given to the Florida Panthers Foundation and to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Additionally, all registered racers will receive one ticket for the Panthers vs. Rangers game on Nov. 4, 2017 or Panthers vs. Stars on Nov. 14, 2017. You can register for the race HERE.
Following the race, the Panthers will host their Hockey Fights Cancer Night when they take on the New York Rangers at 7 p.m.

MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT

In conjunction with Auberge Beach Residences & Spa, the Panthers will host their annual Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, Nov. 2, vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7:30 p.m.
"Veteran's issues are a pillar of the Florida Panthers Foundation and a cause very near to the hearts of the employees, ownership and leadership of the Florida Panthers," Panthers President & CEO Matthew Caldwell said. "We're honored to work with Auberge to present the upcoming Military Appreciation Night."
All Veterans and Active Military Personnel with valid identification can receive a complimentary ticket on Nov. 2 courtesy of the Florida Panthers Foundation, with companion tickets for guests being available for $20 each at the box office on the day of game.
The Panthers will also be wearing special camouflage warm-up jerseys prior to their matchup with the Blue Jackets, with select jerseys being entered into an in-game auction outside of Club Lexus. All remaining jerseys will be available in an online auction HERE.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

Tweet from @StanleyCPanther: Thank you for inviting me to your birthday party Evan. I hope you enjoy the Barkov autographed stick I got you! #flapanthers #oneterritory pic.twitter.com/XxcjmukrRl

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• With the help of Alexander Petrovic and the University of Miami, the Panthers
  provided a very special night at the BB&T Center for the NOVA Cool Cats
  .
  - We've partnered with
  Auberge Beach Residences & Spa
  .
  - We recently recalled
  
  .
  - Owen Tippett, the youngest player in the NHL,
  is taking the slow route to proving he belongs with Panthers
  .